Technology in building language skills
In the third module, we discussed what teachers could do to enhance the listening and speaking skills of the students and how to exploit online applications in their teaching practice. Besides, we also learned to use Diigo as an online website to create social bookmarking.
First, we were asked to read an article about Technology and Speaking in which the author recommended six technology activity types for classroom instruction. After that, by looking through some suggested speaking lesson plans, we had a chance to reflect upon our teaching practice to find areas for improvement. It was a beneficial activity as on a daily basis, we are usually trapped in a vicious vortex of numerous deadlines and immense workloads, so we are not able to strike a work-life balance, let alone ponder on our lessons. Therefore, it was a great activity in my opinion.
Next, we took turns to share our useful online tools in the discussion of teaching aural/oral skills. There was a diversity of great cyber platforms mentioned by my classmates such as Podomatic (podcast-making website), Ted-Ed, ESL cyber lab, and so on. For my part, the website that I often recommend to my students is Voicetube. VoiceTube is a globally accessible platform for English learning, offering a hands-on approach: immersing yourself in your beloved YouTube content with subtitles. With a collection of over 40,000 captioned videos sourced from YouTube, TED talks, movie excerpts, TV shows, music videos, professional advice on work and business, news segments from BBC and CNN, and an array of captivating videos covering diverse subjects. The students can easily select the topics they're interested in and match their English level to filter the most suitable videos. All in all, utilizing VoiceTube offers users the opportunity not only to learn English and improve listening and speaking abilities but also to develop critical thinking and debating skills. Moreover, it caters to diverse learning styles with its extensive range of video content. I wholeheartedly recommend this valuable platform to my students of all levels.
Finally, we joined the breakout Zoom section to share about Diigo which is a cyber cache to save my favorite web links. Thanks to the sharing from my peers, I have saved a lot of links that facilitate my teaching process and research.
In your blog, I found that your sharing focuses on the website to help your teaching of aural and oral skills. Whatever, I was impressed with what you shared about YouTube; it's more details than the discussion! Thanks or sharing!
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