Online Language Teaching Tools to Make Your Life Easier
To be a good online TEFL teacher it is not only best but also important to know which teaching tools to embrace. Good teachers go for tools that impress the learners and of course make their life easier. Gone are the days where emails and PDF files were largely used.
If you are about to become a language teacher you might have heard of PPP methodology, a common-sense approach to teaching as it consists of 3 stages (Presentation, Practice, & Production) to describe typical stages of a presentation of a new language.
This article will show you fun and creative tools to help you easier apply this PPP methodology into your online classroom.
Connecting Applications for video Conferencing
1. Skype
Skype is a popular video conferencing app that has been in existence for a decade now. This is the first application that crosses people’s minds when they think of online classes. It allows you to chat with your students or engage experts all around the globe at the comfort of your desk. An effective and easy to use app has been undergoing changes and updates throughout its life. Online educators have had the chance to enjoy online teaching, as Skype makes their life easier. Your students get to know you more as a teacher face to face.
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2. Zoom
We have talked about Skype already but when do we use zoom? This works as well as Skype but works much better when you want to hold group sessions online. With zoom, you get video and voice calls just as it is with Skype. A TEFL teacher can easily share your screen with all the connected devices including iPads and iPhones. You get to automatically record all voice calls within zoom. In case your calls go for longer than 40 minutes, you will have to subscribe and pay a monthly fee to use this app. When it comes to sharing files, it is not as quick and easy as it is with Skype.
URL: https://zoom.us
3. Gotomeeting
This is another simple and cost-efficient way to meet your students online with any computer and mobile devices. The good thing about this app is that it can be used with or without a camera. You are free to enjoy its great features in both free and professional versions.
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Planning Tools
Whether you are teaching online or face to face, you need to plan for the lessons in line with the content to deliver. It is also very important to communicate with your students effectively ensuring they access the materials they need with ease. There are several platforms to help you with this.
4. Live Binders
We can say that live binders came to replace the old school paper that lectures used to hold all the schoolwork in place. With live binders, you can quickly and easily upload files, documents, and other resources and organize them well under different tabs. This allows parents and students to access the relevant materials as you track their progress. You can also share your lesson plans with the students to collaborate well.
URL: http://www.livebinders.com
5. Plan board
You will never go wrong with a plan board. It saves you time and the too much work that lesson planning involves. It allows you to set up templates that are easy to use and in line with the standards of your curriculum. TEFL teacher is able to add lesson plans for the entire semester and re-use them again for the next one (with fewer adjustments of course). Attaching images and other documents are simplified by a plan board app. On top of that, you can access it on any device and make the adjustments you want wherever you are.
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Presentation and review apps
6. Prezi
With Prezi, you easily interact with information visually as you present. It is a more organized and method of presenting content to the students in a memorable manner.
URL: https://prezi.com
7. Quizlet
Quizlet is popular and therefore you could be familiar with it. Through this flashcard app, students are able to send each other questions or play matching vocabulary games. This is a helpful application to those teaching English as a foreign language. It makes vocabulary memorization easier than ever before.
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In Conclusion
Many of the above-mentioned applications could be familiar to you. However, it is important to familiarize yourself with the updated versions more often to be conversant with the new features for better operation.
