CNN Student News

What is this?
This is a news website that contains news videos, transcripts, discussions, newsquiz and daily podcast. All the videoes and relevant PDF files can be downloaded and be regularly updated. It is really a good learning source that can be widely used in language learning context.
Why is the content good for language learning?

• It provides latest news and reports as authentic listening materials.
• The news topics are diverse and have a strong association with learners' daily life and concerned issues.
• The speakers in the videoes from different parts of the world and speak different accents which provides learners a 'pure' English  world.
• The news are categorised by topics, some by areas. Learners can choose what they are interested in easily.
• The transcript can help students understand the news much better.
• The newsquiz allows learners to review what they watched and understood by doing some relevant quizzes. It can be also used as a homework or post-task to do, which will probably foster learners' autonomy.
• Podcast can be downloaded into personal itune or iphone. Learners can get the updated news without accessing computer.

How might you use it in a language teaching context?
 
For example,

•  Firstly, teacher may ask students to search and choose a piece of latest news related to a same topic , say Janpan earthquake.
• 
• 
  
• 
  
• Then watch the news video individually, and then retell the news or describe the main meaning of the news to their parterner.
• 
  
• 
• If students hardly understand the news, they are allowed to refer to the transcript.
• 
  
• 
• Based on the same topic news:  1.Teacher can arrange a group discuss , for example, ask students to make suggestion about how to help the people in Japan, how to donate money, goods and materials, what will you say to the people in earthquake area. 2.Students can comment on the video and give their feedback. 3.Teacher can ask students to write a reflection passage about earthquake or natural disaster.4.Teacher can ask students to recall what they did and thoughts when Sichuan province suffered earthquake. 5.Teacher can divide students into different groups and ask them to prepare a short news and report it in class. 6.Teacher can ask students to brainstorm how to protect yourself during earthquake.
• Finally, students can do the newsquiz to review the news and relevant topic.

Limitation

• The transcripts are too long and  key words or topic-related words are not highlighted.
• Some videoes are lacking of transcript.
• No subtitle in the video. Only suitable for advanced learners.

Audioboo Creat your podcast

What is this?

This is an useful online tool which can be used to record sound, as well as a fabulous website that  allows users to post and share sound files. It is a great way to creat and share one's podcast on Internet.

Why is the content good for language learning?

For students:

• The sound files or recordings in this website is a collection of all aspects of our life and society from all over the world. From economy, science,culture and education to sport, entertainment, travel and daily life, students can choose various topics in which they are interested to listen.
• All the recordings are authentic listening materials and listening input, which enables students to get in touch with a real English world and practice listening ability.
• Free to sign up an account,  listen to other's podcast, make and post students' own recording will motivate students to learn both on class and after class and increase their autonomy.
• Be consuming for language learning. Students can use this tool to do group discussion or presentation.
• Be producing for language production. When students record their own sound, they may find their speaking problem and self-correct.
• Comparing their own recordings of different periods, they may find the improvement in speaking and be encouraged.
• From teacher's podcast, students may have another chance to learn what they missed or unknown on class.
• This website enables students to pur forward any question and express the idea what they want to say withour worrying about some restricted factors of class.

For teacher:

• A good tool to post teacher's lecture and instruction and share with students.
• Teacher can download or record some listening materials as a warm-up activities or a preview material for students before class, or a homework and after-class activities.
• Giving more opportunities for teacher to interact with students.
• A good resouce for teacher to apply some listening materials on class and after class.
• Teacher can check students' homework, speaking proficiency, specific pronunciation and improvement, etc. through their recording.
• Easy to be embeded in teacher's blog.

 How might you use it in a language teaching context?

For example,

1. Teacher embeds a podcast (can be self-recorded or online materials) in her blog, and asks students to listen to it and complete the task (might be a integrative listening and speaking task based on a specific topic) before next class.
2. The way students to do this task is to record what they think and talk on audioboo, then post their recordings and share with their classmates.
3. Teacher check students' homework and their speaking accuracy and fluency according to their recordings. Then give comments, suggestion, and feedback to students, also by sending teacher's recording.

Limitations

• A huge workload for teacher to respond to every student by recording one by one.
• Might be difficult to search a suitable listening material due to different levels of students.
• A rich resources of podcasts might distract students.

we created a webquest

http://questgarden.com/118/31/1/110204043800/



What is this?

This is a webquest designed by my classmate and me. We logged in Questgarden as a member of University of Warwick on ICT class and creat our own webquest. This is the first time we creat a webquest. We  are not so good at creating webquest as those experienced English teachers, but it is worth a try, we enjoyed it.

Why is the content good for language learning?

• The topic of the webquest is interesting and learners can choose any cartoon characters they like.
• The task is motivating in terms of  improving learners' speaking and listening abilities.
• Learners will have a good opportunity to develop their negociation and communication skills during the process of preparing the task.
• The instruction and process of the task is clear and well-arranged which enables learners to do the task easily both on class and after class.
• The webquest contains a lot of useful online resourses and other relevant webquests. Learners can refer to the website and links.

• Not only will learners develop their language skills, but also increase their creativity and imagination.

Limitation

How might you use it in a language teaching context?

• Teacher highlights the key points of the task in case that students miss the important information.
• 
• Teacher asks students to follow the process to do the task.
• Step one and two can be done after class. And step 3 should be shown on class.
• 
  
• Teacher will evaluate each group's performance and give feedback individually.

• Not suitable for young learners.
• Limited in costumes and properties.

Webquest

 http://questgarden.com/

http://chalk.richmond.edu/education/projects/webquests/goldenticket/

What is this?

• QuestGarden is an online authoring tool, community and hosting service for teachers to creat high quality webquests, which can be used in language teaching classroom.
• The following is a webquest sample from Internet. This webquest is designed for university students to enhance their reading and communication skills. The task in this wequest is interesting and related to a classic book as well as a famous film, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
• According to Dodge, 'A webquest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which most or all of the information used by learners is drawn form the web. Webquests are designed to use learners' time well, to focus on using information rather than looking for it, and to support learners' thinking at the levels of analysis, synthesis and evaluation.'

Why is the content good for language learning?

• This webquest contains a clear introduction to the task, process of doing the task as well as evaluation criterion which can give students a comprehensive and effective guide to do a particular task.
• The task in the webquest is funny and students tend to be familiar with the original story ( Charlie and the Chocolate Factory). It can make the task-based learning more interesting and motivating.
• The webquest provides a lot of  relevant online resources (such as language clues, preparation for the task and useful tools) to refer. It helps students to extend their mind and horizen and increase language input.
• The webquest gives a clear goal of doing the task, which makes students to know what they can achieve after completing the task.
• It involves integrative language skills, such as speaking and reading, as well as some communicative skills, such as negotiation and discussion, and team work.
• Different levels of evaluation criterion makes both teacher and students clear about their performance and language proficiency.

How might you use it in a language teaching context?

• Teacher divides students into several groups and introduce the task in the webquest and give a detail instruction or explaination about how to begin the task and what the goal and process is.
• Then allow the students to work in group and do the task. Teacher monitors the performance of different groups and gives suggestion.

Or

• Teacher makes a webquest before a class and ask students to do the task on class or after class. Here is a webquest that I did. 

Limitations

• Might be hard to do in very big classes

TED Ideas worth spreading

What is this?

• TED(Techonology, Entertainment and Design) is a collection of hundreds of award-winning talks videos, the open translation projects and conversations. It can be widely used in language learning context as authentic learning materials and extend training.
• Why is the content good for language learning?
• Learners can access these videos for free.
• TED provides learners abundant authentic English listening and speaking materials, which allows learners to get in touch with English speakers from all over the world regardless of the time and space limitation.
• The videoes are categorised by themes. Learners can search videoes based on the topic they are interested in.
• Most of the videoes are tagged.
•  
• 
• The content of the talks might associate with learners' main subject or major, which will motivate them to enchance not only English proficiency, but also facilite specific professional knowledge learning.
• Learners can regulate the time bar of a video based on their understanding, which enables them to keep their own learning process.
• Some newest releases videoes will be posted on the homepage. Learners can asscess the updated materials.
•  
• 
•    
• The topics of the talks per se are good resources for speaking and writing.
• Through observing the speekers' spoken language, behaviour, anddressing, learners will strengthen their presentation skills.
• Language beginners can choose to add subtitle of their L1. In this way, they may feel comfortable and understand easily when they watch it.

How might you use it in a language teaching context? 

• Teacher firstly select an interesting video that can resonate with students interest and concerned topic.
• Then play the video as a pre-task activity.
• Teacher asks students to discuss about the main meaning of the speech.
• If the students can hardly understand the main meaning of the speech, teacher may add L1 subtitle in the video and play it again to help them to understand.
• Teacher can express his/her own opinion towards the topic of the video, and demonstrate how to talk about a topic in an appropriate way.
• Then divide students into different group and ask them to discuss or write a short passage.

Limitation

• Chinese students may hardly understand western jokes in the talks, therefore, they may feel embarrassed when the audience in the video laugh.
• Some topics of the speeches are too technical and professional.
• Not very suitable for young learners.

Listen and Write

http://www.listen-and-write.com/

What is this?
This is a website that can be used to practice listening and writing ability. It contains a lot of video and audio files based on various topics, news, stories, passages, etc. that enables language learners to play and do the following dictation. Three modes(Full mode; Quick mode;blank modes) allow learners to choose flexibly according to their abilities and levels.

Why is the content good for language learning?

• The website provides a range of authentic materials, such as the lastest news, the hottest topics, popular speeches, sharing stories,etc. Students can choose to listen and watch, and do exercice flexibly as much as they want.
• The website collects and gathers various resources from a number of other different websites, which provides students 'one-stop service' and saves them a lot of time and energy.
• 
• The website enable learners with different levels to find the most suitable materials to use. Learners can firstly choose the levels of difficulty of each item, then choose the mode they like.
•  

• 
• The website allows students to make their own learning plan and schedule, which will foster students' motivation and autonomy. During the 'listen and write' process, students can control 'autocomplete' or 'autorepeat' as well as the progress bar.
•  
• 
• The website provides students a relaxed environment to learn. No time limited, no any monitors. Anxiety and others' disturbance will not affect students' learning process.
• Students can keep their own learning record and process as long as they login.
•  
• 
• Dictionary lookup are available for students to check their spelling error and get an improvement in vocabulary accuracy.

How might you use it in a language teaching context?

• Teacher pre-select a video or audio and choose a certain mode for students.
• Before listening the materials, teacher asks students to have a free discussion about the relevant topic or news.
• Then play the video on class, and asks them to complete the following dictation in pairs.

OR

• Teacher is only responsible for setting the level of difficulties and asks students to complete three dictations in different modes every week.
• The choice of topic and title is random.
• On the last class of the week, teacher asks several students to introduce or retell what they have heared or watched to their classmates.

 

Limitation

 

• The speed in the audio files can not be regulated.
• Every computer should be equiped with earphone.
• It is difficult for students to learn and practice collaboratively.
• High requirement of Internet speed.
• Too many advertisements on the homepage.

 

 

 

An interesting website of vocabulary learning

What is this?

This is a pictorial vocabulary learning website which contains vivid pictures, word spelling, pronunciation, parts of speech, translation and small quiz, etc. Besides, the vocabularies are classified into different groups based on daily use topics which covers almost every aspect of our life.  All these interesting form and content are accessable with one click.

Why is the content good for language learning? 

• Fairly detailed and overall classification provides students a large range of vocabularies to learn.

• Involving vivid pictures and sound files is good for students to combine an object with its English spelling and pronunciation.
• Interesting pictures and various colors will stimulate students' (especially young learners) visual sence and increase their desire to learn.

• Words can be saved to account, which enables students to make a word list to review and strengthen memory.

• Additional quizz model enables students to test themself and enhance their autonomy.

  

How might you use it in a language teaching context?

1. Teacher firstly sets a topic for students, for example 'The face'.Then asks students to work in pairs.
2. Students will be firstly asked to move the cursor on the part that they've already known how to speak it in English (eg. eyes, nose, mouth, ears) and check whether their spelling and pronuciation is correct by moving the cursor on those pictures.
3. Then move to the parts that they are not familiar (eg. nostril, ear lobe, temple)and listen to its pronuciation and speak it. Though students can understand the meaning of those words with the help of pictures, if necessary, teacher will explain their usage in a precise way.(eg. expressions)
4. Some interesting relevant classroom activities, like, students work in pair and one of them point a part of his/her face, the other one speaks its name in English.  Or one of them speak a word, the other one need to move that part on his/her face, that's maybe much funny.

Limitation

• Might be only suitable for young learners or beginners.
• Involved in some vocabularies that rarely be used in real-life.
• Not many relevant activities, such as sysmatically listening, speaking, reading or writing task be followed.
• Only some nouns vocabularies which describe one object are avaliable.
• Web design and structure is simple and a little bit not attractive.