Learning English can be very difficult and frustrating at times but using technology can make life a lot easier and take the pain and strain out of learning. Here are a few tried and tested methods that we at Carole Brown Idiomas find helpful:
- Apps on iPads and Tablets
For practising grammar rules, apps like Grammar Up allow students of all ages to test their knowledge on specific topics (verbs, prepositions, etc). The app also keeps track of students’ progress and allows them to skip the questions by shaking the tablet!! Best Colleges Online: https://www.bestcollegesonline.com/blog/16-incredible-ipad-apps-for-esl-learners/ offer a list of 16 apps for ESL students, ranging from basic letter instruction to pronunciation guides. Students can also play classic games like Scrabble and Boggle on mobile devices
- Online games
A great way to help young learners master grammar, spelling and other English skills. They can access these on their computer or mobile devices. Funbrain has educational games and books for preschool up to eighth grade students. Starfall has multiple games for students to increase their literacy skills. Digital versions of Hangman, Scrabble and Boggle are also entertaining for all ages of students.
- Skype
An easy and accessible method for adult students to practise their speaking and listening skills with other people from any location. Teach Thought: https://www.teachthought.com/the-future-of-learning/50-ideas-for-using-skype-in-your-classroom/ offers 50 suggestions on how to use Skype in the classroom. Students can have question-and-answer sessions with authors of books, attend video-conferences and virtual field trips, interview professionals and connect with students from other cultures and countries.
- Web Quests
These are activities that require learners to use the Internet to complete a task. Students are given a mini-project that relies on their content knowledge and grasp of English knowledge to complete it. Teachers can create their own or visit Web Quests to access tutorials and databases of pre-created web quests. http://www.webquest.org/search
- Class blogs
These provide great forums for students to practice their writing skills. Live Journal, Edublog and Blogger allow you to create blogs for free. Teachers can get students to write about specific topics that they find interesting or students can provide commentary on current events and social justice issues. The more they practice their writing skills, the more proficient they become so regular blogging (daily or weekly) is recommended.
- Online reference tools
Dictionaries, thesauruses, translators, corpuses and encyclopaedias can help those learners who want to be more independent.
http://www.natcorp.ox.ac.uk/
http://www.wordreference.com