Second and Foreign language instructors have one continuous struggle: to find everyday things that will NOT bring our students too far away from their comfort zone, and yet, bring them close enough to their zone of proximal development (ZPD) as Vygotsky would propose. We also aim to use the backward design to apply the latest strategies, and to differentiate our learners by interest and ability.
Although this sounds contradictory, the fact remains that all learners will prefer familiar and manageable activities so that they can ease the process of decoding a new language. This article will show how some free sites can be used for linguistic and academic activities.
Task 1: Interactive dictionaries
Use your student interest inventory to determine what are the interests of your clientele. For projects that involve learning new vocabulary, focus on interactive dictionaries.
One best practice is to keep the site www.taggalaxy.com always available with a specific vocabulary list so that the Spelling is always on check. Then, ask students to infer from the number of available pictures the meaning and use of new words. Other good sites include www.visuwords.com, the Merriam Webster interactive dictionary at http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/interactive, and www.lexipedia.com. These latter ones serve more for a grammatical purpose than for word recognition. However, www.taggalaxy.com certainly works with pictures as well as with words.
Task 2: Interactive flashcards
Help learners to create their own flashcards interactively by providing them with a Spelling list or contextual vocabulary web. Then, have them seek for the terms in the target language encouraging that they use the finished product in other activities. Great sites for this type of activity include www.senteacher.org and the SMART interactive template site.
Task 3: Interactive "elementary" games.
These sites have come as a welcome surprise to many L2 educators. Using sites meant initially for menial purposes such as makeovers, decoration, or putting pictures together, one can combine that technology with existing software to make pictures that are labeled and categorized.
A great site that my younger (and especially my) older learners love to use is www.ggg.com. Often, they are asked to select a makeover or decoration game. The simplicity of the game helps them feel comfortable with the activity. However, we take a PRINT SCREEN of the final product, add it to a POWERPOINT or SMART notebook page, and then use WORD ART or SMART art for labeling. The products are fabulous and the students have the opportunity to add a new concept by doing a familiar activity.
What to do next?
- Go online and search for resources by using the tags provided in each of the subtitles of this article or go straight to the sites to become familiar with the technology.
- Build an online resource list for your students and include them in your syllabus or resource cards.
- Use the interactive activities FIRST to avert any possible glitches.
- Write down every troubleshooting you find and add it to the resource guide.
- Invite your students to create a digital locker or folder where they can save all the online resources that they use in class.
As always, continue researching non-stop. Your students will be doing the exact same thing!
Michelle Ossa - Michelle Ossa is a Professor of Second Language Acquisition Theories, Alternative Assessment for EFL education, Elementary School, and ...
Join the Conversation