Integrating web 2.0 resources into EFL teaching and learning.

These last days, we learned in ECO II what web 2.0 resources are, and we also learned how to deal with them. It is amazing the amount of tools you can find on Internet.

When it comes to using these tools in the classroom, I mean, in EFL teaching and learning, I think it is really valuable. They can be very useful in helping you as teacher to motivate learners. For instance, there is a tool that I really liked, it is called Voki. With Voki you can create a character, give it different features, and put it a voice, so as to talk through it. I think this tool can give students the possibility to talk in English and to create different situations and subjects to talk about.  I'm working at a private institute in my town, and last week I had to prepare a listening for my younger tudents. I searched on the Internet and in different coursebooks, but I couldn't find one that really convinced me or that was appropriate for my students' level. So I got this great idea: VOKI! I wrote the scripts for the listening, and then I created the characters, they were a boy and a girl. First, I was not sure if it could be useful and easy for my students to understand or if it could seem not so real, but I was wrong; it sounded very real, and my students could understand it very well. Here you can see my Voki.

I recommended this tool to my colleagues, and the tried it, too, and they really liked it. So, now, when I can't find a good listening to use, I create it myself!

We also learn to use others tools, such as Wordle and Popplet (although the last one is a bit more difficult to use, at least for me).
Using Wordle allows you or your students to create 'word clouds' like the one above. This tool gives our students the possibility to practice vocabulary and spelling. They can also play some games, For instance, a 'Grammar Game' in which students have to put the words in order to create a sentence. 

Pooplet is also innovative and fun. By using Popplet students can create graphic organizers, timelines, and many other ways of organize and connect information. This tool could also be used to work with vocabulary, but it also allows you to write longer texts or descriptions, which I consider and advantage over Wordle.

Using these resources for teaching and learning is a way of bringing the outside world into the classroom. Nowadays, students are really involved in technology and it is a normal thing in their lives, so we cannot close our eyes to that reality and we should try to use them in order to improve our teaching.