ESP for M. Ed Students
I’m teaching an ESP class at a university in Thailand and enjoying the interaction with fellow educators, particularly those who teach English and are looking for new teaching methods.
It’s also an opportunity to demonstrate some of the computer based learning and teaching elements I’ve been using, such as QuestionWriter, Duolingo, and Flash My Brain.
I described QuestionWriter here last year and am using it with several of my classes; over time, I’ve noticed there are a lot of benefits in using it for content delivery, quizzes, tests and exams, including:
- Eliminating the need for paper used to make the test, and all of the effort that goes into having copies made and delivered. This saves both time and money. I also appreciate not having to walk to another part of the school in the heat of the day to transport a large stack of paper, particularly in Thailand.
- Students appreciate a diversion from the traditional teaching approach of written quizzes, tests and exams. It’s different and it can be coupled with some fun online exercises.
- The amount of marking to be done is either eliminated or dramatically reduced because almost all of it is done by the software. As someone who becomes tired of marking the same quiz, test or exam over and over, I really appreciate this aspect. It also eliminates the possibility of human errors in marking.
- A student can receive instant scores from his or her effort on a test, instead of waiting for it to be marked. Students can also review their tests immediately and discover where they made mistakes. In an increasingly impatient world, this is important.
- Course content can be incorporated into QuestionWriter, and combined with some other online delivery of content (a blog, a course delivery website such as eliademy, or a dedicated website). This is important because paper books may be unavailable in sufficient numbers when you need them, or not available at all. You are subject to the distributor’s supply. Recently, the students in one course at our school had to wait 5 weeks for their textbooks to arrive.
- Students cannot lose or forget the textbook, notebook or other work they complete.
- Students can access the content on QuestionWriter 24-7, unlike a traditional learning environment, and are able to do so on their mobile phones, tablets and personal computers. This makes it convenient and perfect for blended learning programs.
- Errors resulting from the illegibility of handwriting are eliminated in computer based input.
Duolingo is a website offering language learning for speakers of many languages; you choose the language you speak, and the language you want to learn, then begin using their interface, which has a friendly, cartoon-like appearance. Experience points and awards are given for completion of sections, along with cheerful motivation as you progress. It’s a pleasant way to gradually build your language skill, and I’m waiting for them to complete their English course for Thai speakers. I’ll post a full review when some of my students can start the course.
I have used Flash My Brain since 2013 to create flashcards for courses I’ve taken and taught, and it has been very useful. There are a lot of places to get flashcards on the internet, but there are times when you want cards with specific content, and that’s where Flash My Brain shines. You have access to not only flashcards that you create, but a large library of cards created by other Flash My Brain users that they have made publicly accessible. You can put text and graphics into the cards, make them double sided, and have a wide variety of printing options. The printing options are what separate Flash My Brain from other browser based flashcard creators. I’ll write a longer review of Flash My Brain in the near future.
Game On! 