Developing Listening and Speaking Skills

with Technology

By
De Vega, Fernando
Fraiese, Luca
Kramer, Jackie
Rossell, David
Tcnicas Informticas- 2014
Teacher: Maria Laura Garca
The internet provides many examples of spoken
language and opportunities for practicing L2 speaking
and listening skills.

It allows us to choose updated material and, most
importantly, material our students like.
Why use the Internet?
Evaluation Criteria
Accuracy and acceptance
Are references given?
Is the spelling and grammar correct?
Is the content dated or updated?
Authority and coverage
Does the content have authority?
Are the authors qualified to provide information on this
topic?
Can the author be contacted?
Where is the content published? What is the domain
name of the website? Is it published by a large
organisation, or on a personal website?
Does the site provide information/advice/ideas/other
choices?
Does the site contain any advertising? Does this
influence the content?


Audience and relevance
Who is the intended audience for this content?
Is the content easy to read and understand?
Is the site specifically aimed at children? If so, is the level
and tone of the content appropriate?
Does the material provide everything that is needed?
Educational focus
Is there an explicit educational focus to the content?
Will it support learners with different learning styles?
Ease of use
Is the site well structured?
Is it easy to find relevant information? What facilities does
the site provide to help locate information?
Does the site load quickly?
Is the site attractive in design?



English
Central
English Central breaks
down videos everybody
enjoys to maximize the
learning experience and
focus on multiple aspects
of the language at the
same time
http://www.englishcentral.com/
What is English Central?
Database of hundreds of
videos
Each video is split in 4
tasks:
o Listening
o Vocabulary
o Writing
o Speaking
Scoring system
Repository for learnt words
Track of learning process
Positive Aspects
The site is very user-friendly and makes the experience of using the website enjoyable. A scoring
system is included.
Positive Aspects
The videos included appeal different age groups. A multiplicity of topics are developed in the
videos, ranging from documentaries to short stories and movie trailers. These are classified by
skills, difficulty level and interests.
Positive Aspects
Focus is made on different aspects of the language: phonology, morphology, meaning and use in
context.
Negative Aspects
Additional equipment (microphone) is required
Negative Aspects
Subscription is required to access the
content. Although Facebook can be
easily used to log in, not everybody
has Facebook or wants to use the
account for this purpose.


The site may be set to Spanish, which
impoverishes the whole website
experience.
Negative Aspects
The site is mostly self paced, which is good if the teacher can
closely monitor the students activity. Otherwise, students may
not follow the instructions accordingly.
English Central in the Classroom
Competitions: getting the highest
score/leadership board Testing
English Central in the Lesson
1) Select a video (Take into account target groups interests, level and the
topic that is being discussed in the unit.
2) Play the video to the whole group and focus on certain language elements.
Practice pronunciation via drilling exercises. Have students guess the
meaning of certain words.
2) Have students explore the entire video and carry out the activities as a
competition. Whoever gets the higher score wins.
Tune into English
This website contains many
activities to develop
listening and speaking
skills through the use of
songs, lyrics, and radio
programs.
http://www.tuneintoenglish.com/
Positive aspects
There is plenty of material to work with
The content is easy to find
the content is easy to read and understand
There is an explicit educational focus
It has a phonological approach

Negative aspects
Distracting ads everywhere
You need to sign up to access the
worksheets
The design of the site is not
attractive and quite confusing,
really;
There is too much information; it
can be rather daunting.
Worksheets are not categorised
Karaoke
Sample
Long list of songs
Updated regularly
Easy to find and fast to load
Correct grammar and spelling
There a number of intrusive ads.
http://www.tuneintoenglish.com/?p=390
Lesson Plan

- After doing the listening activity, T
plays the Karaoke version of the
song (big screen needed) for
students to sing along.
http://www.tuneintoenglish.c
om/?p=4553


- T chooses a song and prepares a
listening comprehension activity for Ss
(fill in the blanks, order the stanzas,
correct the mistakes, etc.)

- T plays an instrumental song and
ask Ss to write a stanza for the
melody in small groups.
Useful Links
Fergal Kavanaghs roadshows:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1jtz39q9xo

Tune Into English on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/TuneIntoEnglish

Opinion by Media and Learning (Brussels 2014):
http://www.media-and-learning.eu/resource/tune-
into-english
my.englishclub.com
my.englishclub.com is a
social network that spins off
the website
englishclub.com. In many
ways it works as Facebook
and its main objective is
fostering interaction and
communication in English
among online English
learners.
Positive aspects
Content in this site can
be updated by all
members and therefore
students may find varied
topics. This also means
content is constantly
updated.
Students have access to
videos, photos and blogs
specialized in different
areas or integrated skills.
whats more
Students can start their own discussion groups
or join existing ones.



Students can chat with other English learners
and have real-time communication


Negative aspects

You need to create a user account and build a profile.
Content is too broad: too much information may be daunting.
The site is not aimed at a specific age audience and it may therefore
be inappropriate for young learners.
Anyone can post things so content may include some mistakes or
be inappropriate.


Although there are privacy settings, students may be contacted by
strangers or unfriendly members.

Ideas to use my.englishclub.com in the
classroom
Students could create a class group where they can post videos related to
the topics dealt in class. E.g.: If the unit is animals students can post
videos on their favourite animals and comment on each others posts.




The teacher could choose a topic (e.g. routines) and ask students to post
humorous memes on that topic.


http://www.voxopop.com/
The website that takes
Internet forums to the next level.
Just record your voice and
let people listen to what you have to say
about different issues.
Positive aspects

Good Talkgroup settings
Low digital literacy required


In addition, you can:
make your profile more vivid by recording your voice
Have access to many interesting talkgroups

Or you can even
Share the link of your talkgroup
on different social networks!
Negative aspects



Too much text and few visual support
The home page is almost an invitation not to visit the site; too basic
Uploading your recording may sometimes take longer than necessary
Latest version of Java needed to operate
No real-time communication

Voxopop in the classroom
1) Choose a topic your Ss may find interesting
2) Create a Talkgroup on that topic
3) Invite the class to make contributions as
homework



want more?
If you want to watch a tutorial on how to use Voxopop click here

For some ideas on how to apply Voxopop in your classes click here

Remember: The sky is the limit!
Lets share our vision of the world!
have fun!