View Content #1959
| Contentid | 1959 |
|---|---|
| Content Type | 1 |
| Title | Literacy site recommendation |
| Body | I remember when the school where I was teaching got an "Internet" lab, I guess around 8 years ago. Everyone was so excited to have this fancy set-up that we all had the students surfing away doing what turned out to be rather meaningless activities. It was the lure of the technology and not the advantage to the student that had our attention. After around 2 months, we were using the lab much less frequently. So my first reaction when someone asks what websites I find useful is to ask them "Well, what are YOUR STUDENTS' needs? What is in your curriculum that you think would be best taught using the Internet as a tool?" Are the students lacking audio materials in a non-native speaking country? Do the students lack adequate research resources? Do the students need authentic writing experiences like taking surveys, reviewing a movie, asking for information? I think we need to work backwards and begin by saying "What would I like to teach my students?" and then if/how the web can be used to that end- and if, indeed, it is more efficient than another method. This is a website I have found useful working with adult immigrants, especially those who have learned English from "the street" and haven't had much in the way of reading/writing. http://www.literacynet.org/cnnsf/week.html I had previously asked students to read the newspaper or watch the TV news, but had very little success in getting them to do it, so I was searching for an alternative way to a) get them tuned into the community/nation/world and b) get more L2 input that was comprehensible when the teacher wasn't around. This site builds vocabulary and improves spelling by linking the written and spoken word, and aids pronunciation too. The site features current and archived news stories on all topics in the original text version (with excellent audio narration) and a slightly simplified version, as well as comprehension and vocabulary activities. There is often a little news video that goes with the story. I very much like the "listen and read" approach for students who don't get a lot of L2 input and who may have low L1 literacy levels. Visiting this website is usually a homework or lab assignment, (I won't spend class time on-line unless I'm demonstrating something), and I have had students present summaries of their stories in groups. The material is authentic, high interest and informative. Spelleri, M. Re: Websites and uses of the web. Teachers of English to speakers of other languages electronic list. TESL-L@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU (19 Aug. 2004). |
| Source | TESL-L listserv |
| Inputdate | 2004-08-20 14:58:00 |
| Lastmodifieddate | 2004-08-20 14:58:00 |
| Expdate | Not set |
| Publishdate | Not set |
| Displaydate | Not set |
| Active | 1 |
| Emailed | 1 |
| Isarchived | 1 |
