How To Use Technology In The ESL Classroom

Teaching English as a Second Language doesn’t have to

be difficult at all. With the invention of modern

technological facilities, life has been made much

easier for language instructors. In the short

discussion, we will be looking at how to make use of

technology in ESL classrooms.



Our aim as English as a second language instructor is

to help our students enjoy learning English so as to

become effective speakers.

There are a few ways you can teach ESL with the aid of

technology and achieve this:

1. Games

Everyone loves games. The old, the young, men and women

are love playing games. This is because, games are

usually associated with fun and anything “fun”

stimulates the human mind. As an ESL instructor, there

are now computer based games that focus on different

aspect of English language which ranges from accent to

spelling to correct applications, grammar and

construction of sentences. When people are exposed to

games that have been pre-programmed to achieve a

specific goal, they catch fun while at it and also

learn faster. It has been discovered that human find

visual information more easy to process than other form

of information. If they can see it and enjoy it, they

can learn it. Well-designed games have been written by

computer programmers to achieve this objective. The

earlier you start utilizing them, the better.

2. Videos and listening programs

This is a powerful combination because it entails

visual and hearing which are the two most important

ways human process language in their brain. By watching

specific video programs and listening to it, learners

will be able to comprehend better. As an ESL teacher,

you can play popular videos of shows that interest your

student. By watching the videos and listening to the

sound, they will develop listening skills which is a

very important skill to pick up while learning a second

language. There are also videos that have been

specifically made to achieve a goal which can range

from pronunciation to standing postures and

communication gestures peculiar to the English society.

Of course ICT has played a major role in making this

possible. Videos, games and other invention have made

life easier for both the students and the teachers.

3. Practice drills and tests

In the case of students that have to take English

proficiency examinations, practice drills or dump as it

is called in the IT world can be used to help student

develop their skills faster. Samples of likely question

is usually programmed into the test dumps which the

student can use while studying for the exam. These

practice drills and tests are usually available to use

on a computer. In many instance, these drills present

an exam-like situation where the student needs to beat

time while attempting to answer all the questions

contained in the drill. With advance practice, students

can be helped with practice drills to get very

comfortable with English language.

4. Using technology to find Pen-pals

Nothing beats communication with people that speaks the

language a student is learning. Using technological

gadgets at our disposal, a teacher can arrange with the

students in getting pen-pals on the internet where the

students can then exchange emails or chat which has

been proven to increase language proficiency.

Technology has made the world a global village such

that people that are miles apart can at least hear and

see themselves with their computers connected to the

internet. With the invention of Facebook, Gtalk and

Skype, this has been made much easier. Nothing gets

easier than this!

5. Internet Learning

With the invention of the internet, it is now easy to

put up lessons online and have your students go there

and read for themselves at their own pace. This is

usually increases the fun associated with learning the

English language. You can find ESL lessons in sites

like TotalESl, BusyTeacher, ESLHQ, among others.

In my blog, I have a category where you can find

activities and worksheets to teach English.

You can find and download activities, worksheets and

resources at http://elthq.com. I'm a teacher and

blogger writing about my experiences and publishing

resources I find valuable. You can find English

activities for classroom use, so visit my blog and

browse away!


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technology-in-the-esl-classroom.php