Teaching Resources and CALL Projects

I'm currently working on putting together a page of resources for teaching ESOL and using computer technology. I'll also include examples of projects completed for the Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) course I'm taking at St. Michael's College. You can access individual posts of each topic from this list.

Vocabulary:
YourDictionary - YourDictionary is an online dictionary, and much more. You can look up word definitions, synonyms, idioms, specific ways you can use a word, and there are plenty of examples. There are also links to non-English dictionaries, translation sites, and other language learning resources. Read my post about YourDictionary for more information.

FlashcardExchange - Flashcard Exchange is an online application where you can create your own digital flash cards and share them with others. From your review of the cards, and whether you remember them or not, the application determines the next time you need to review. You can also play flash card matching games. For more information, read my post about Flashcard Exchange and other online flash card applications.

Quizlet - Similar to Flashcard Exchange, Quizlet is an application which allows you to create and share digital flash cards. There are also several study games you can play with these flash card sets, as well as computer-generated quizzes to test your knowledge of the vocabulary. Read more about Quizlet in my post.

Writing:
Lang-8 - Lang-8 is a social networking site (like Facebook or MySpace) with a focus on practicing reading and writing in other languages. Read my blog post about Lang-8 for more information.

Virtual Classrooms:
Second Life - Second Life is an online virtual world created by Linden Lab. The entire virtual environment is created by the users themselves. Language learners and teachers can find resources in several areas including EduNation. Read my post about Second Life for more information.

Assessment:

Teach-nology - I used the Teacher Rubric Maker to make this Writing Assessment rubric. There are many other rubric templates available as well.

Projects:
Newsletters - Creating electronic newsletters in Microsoft Word are a great way to supplement language learning with technology. Its also a great way for groups of students to work together, and the final product can be shared with other classes, teachers, and parents via a class website. Here is an example of a newsletter that I made for the CALL online course I'm taking.

Collaborative Website Review - My classmates and I completed a website review project. In order to complete the assignment we used both synchronous and asynchronous communication over the web to organize the project. Then we sent our individual pieces to each other for peer review. It is amazing the way the internet allows for this kind of interaction. Myself and each of my classmates are spread around the world, so we would not have been able to communicate in a similar way if not for email and Skype!

PowerPoint - This is a great tool to use for instruction as well as for student projects. I created a PowerPoint slideshow about the uses of social networking in language learning. Please feel free to check it out!