Educational Technology and other learning resources

1. Objects, pictures and things

1.1. Realia: Things we bring to class to play games for learning. For example: Phone conversations with 2 telephones.

1.2. Pictures can be used in multiple ways: Drills, communication games, understanding, ornamentation, prediction, discussion, etc.

1.3. Cards, as well, have many uses: matching and ordering, selecting, card games, etc.

1.4. Cuisenaire rods can be used for teaching word stress, prepositions, comparatives, superlatives, etc.

2. The Coursebook: Coursebook or not coursebook?

2.1. There are many benefits, for example, they offer a coherent syllabus and extra resource material, they come with teachers guides, they foster the perception of progress, etc.

2.2. It has restrictions, as well, like: They may be used inapprioperly, units and lessons often follow unrelenting format, etc.

2.3. When using a coursebook, we, as teachers, also wonder some questions: To change or not to change some lessons of the syllabus? To omit o replace some content? etc.

3. Ways of Showing

3.1. We can use boards for a variety of different purposes including: as a note-pad, an explanation aid, picture frame, public workbook, gameboard, noticeboard, etc.

3.2. The overhead projector

3.3. The flip chart

3.4. Computer based presentation technology

4. Ways of finding out

4.1. Dictionaries such as paper dictionaries, electronic pocket dictionaries, cd-roms, online dictionaries, etc.

4.2. Concordancers

4.3. Searching the internet using encyclopedias, webquests, etc.

5. Ways of composing

5.1. Some methods are Word processing, word editing, mousepals, chats, bloggings, authoring, designing websites,

6. The Technology pyramid

6.1. Either you are at the top or the bottom of the Technology pyramid, you are classified at a level depending on if you can have access to these technologies: Blackboards, papers, pens, whiteboards, books, cassette recorders, photocopiers, language laboratories, videos, computers, etc.

7. The students themselves

7.1. They are a good resource for learning bringing up to the class with their experiences, motivation to play and imagination.

8. Ways of listening

8.1. A variety of sources: The teacher, lecturers and guests voices, cassette and tape recorders, cd players with WAV or MP3 recorded formats, online podcasts, etc.

9. Practicing language on the internet and on CD-ROM

10. Virtual learning

10.1. By emails, video-conferences, simulated environments, blogs, social networks, etc.