Digital Technologies for English Language Learning

            In the digital technologies era, education has grown fast. Digital technologies can help teacher in the learning and teaching activity. While technology does not replace a good teacher, it serves an important and emerging role in supporting student learning. Nowadays, there are so many educational applications that can help us improving our English skills. The following are the examples of educational application for improving Engkish skills.

1.      Educational Apllications for improving writing skills.

a.       ProWritingAid

If you haven't already added ProWritingAid to your writer's toolbox, do it now. This free online app helps you edit your work in a much faster and more efficient way. It highlights a whole range of potential writing pitfalls like overly complicated sentences, vague and abstract language, passive voice, or repetitive words and phrases (24 writing reports in total). Give it a try.

b.      Bubbl.us

Getting started on an essay, novel, or any form of writing may require some brainstorming. This website allows you to quickly and easily brainstorm or create a map for your ideas. This simple, easy-to-use site makes it painless to organize ideas with the use of customization of bubble color, text size and formatting, and even hyperlinks. This site is free to use, and you don’t even need to make an account unless you want to save your data.

c.       WiseMapping

WiseMapping is free and easy to register for on the internet. Input simple information, such as your name, email address, and a username and password, to become a member and gain access to this mind mapping tool. WiseMapping is fairly basic, but can really help when it comes to brainstorming or problem solving.

d.      yWriter5

Designed by Simon Haynes, a writer and computer programmer, yWriter5 is a useful tool for novelists. yWriter5 breaks your novel up into scenes and chapters for you while you write, making it easier to manage. Among many other things, this software tracks your progress, and makes it easy to rearrange your novel with its drag and drop capabilities.

2.      Educational Apllications for improving reading skills.

a.       Reading Comprehension

Price: $2.99

Primary Audience: K-3Apps

Idea: Focusing on non-fiction texts and assessment, with the ability to create your own lessons (text + assessment).

b.      Rainbow Sentences

Price: $7.99

Primary Audience: K-5 and SLP.

Idea: Like SentenceBuilder, this app focuses on sentence fluency. The who/what/where/why/when of each sentence are color-coded to emphasize word function.

c.       Kids Reading Comprehension Level 1

Price: .99

Primary Audience: K-3 and SLP

Idea: Similar to the previous two comprehension apps, this provides short passages and brief assessments at their conclusion. Comprehension here is addressed through brief bursts of non-fiction text with the expectation of assessment at the end.

d.      SentenceBuilder

Price: $5.99

Primary Audience: K-5 and SLP.

Idea: Helping students compose grammatically correct sentences, which helps both reading and writing fluency.

e.       StoryBuilder

Price: $7.99

Primary Audience: K-6

Idea: Provide an easy-to-use framework to help learners create and understand stories and basic narrative sequence.

Five ways elementary teachers can help students improve listening and speaking skills

While other areas of literacy often receive more attention and instruction, strong listening and speaking skills are integral to students’ success in both school and daily life. But teaching students how to listen (and listen well) requires using several strategies, as does teaching them to formulate responses to what they have heard. The following tips will provide some ways elementary teachers can help to hone these skills in students.

1. Provide pre-learning activities that enable students to focus on what is important

These activities might include key vocabulary terms, an outline of what will be taught, study guides and objectives. This information makes it possible for students to know where and how to focus their listening and then develop stronger oral responses that are more focused.

2. Stop repeating instructions

This advice may go against what teachers typically do, which is to repeat directions or steps multiple times to ensure student comprehension. However, giving instructions multiple times trains students that they do not have to listen the first time, and that the information will be readily available if they choose not to listen.

This doesn’t mean students can’t ask clarifying questions, nor does it mean the information is no longer available after the teacher stops talking. Teachers must be clear that students can ask them to clarify themselves, or can ask peers for information prior to asking the teacher to repeat him or herself.

3. Model good listening and speaking behavior for students

Students learn by how teachers listen and speak, which means it is important for educators to model the behaviors they wish students to emulate. This means that teachers need to practice good listening skills (focusing their full attention on the speaker without interrupting) and good speaking skills — paraphrasing the other person’s ideas before responding, clearly articulating ideas and using correct grammar and structure.

4. Provide structured activities for students to do during or after the listening activity

If students are watching a documentary or educational film, the teacher might pause periodically to have students write down questions. Alternatively, if students are participating in a group discussion, tell them to take turns as the speaker and provide specific instructions for those who are listening. This might involve taking notes on what the speaker is saying and reporting or paraphrasing their contributions. This strategies allows students to focus their points or ideas before participating in discussions.

5. Create ways for introverted students to participate and contribute to conversations

Quiet or introverted students often get left out of large group discussions. In order to make participation easier for them, allow students to show their agreement or disagreement with an idea by holding up two fingers for “yes” or three fingers for “no.” This allows all students to participate and indicate they have been listening as well as respond in a way that best suits their needs.

There are a number of ways elementary teachers can help students develop strong speaking and listening skills regardless of the curriculum they’re teaching. These practices will enable students to understand what is expected of them and how to perform well in their lives down the road.