Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching 3rd edition (Teaching Techniques in English as a Second Language)

language    learning    experience  and proficiency.

• Distance Education

            One of  the applications    of  technology  to  language    teaching    is  in  the direct  delivery

of language instruction via the web. An advantage of web-based instruction is that
it provides access to languages that might not be available otherwise. For instance,
recently the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) went live with its web-
based instructional programs in Azeri and the Iraqi dialect of Arabic. This
development allows UCLA to send language instruction to other campuses of the
University of California system, and in turn to receive instructional programs in
Danish, Filipino, Khmer, and Zulu from the University of California, Berkeley.
Such exchanges present a partial solution to the problem of keeping alive the less
commonly taught, even endangered, languages. Although most research suggests
that blended or hybrid instruction, which is some combination of face-to-face and
distance education, is better than total distance education, obviously distance
education is better than having no opportunity to study a language at all.

• Electronic Chatting

            Electronic  chatting    is  a   synchronous activity:   At  least   two people  must    be  online

simultaneously in order to chat. While the great majority of chats are in writing,
there is also a fast-growing number that also offer voice or video communication.
Skype is perhaps the best known example (for web address, see page 218). It allows
for real spoken communication across countries and continents. It could also be
used locally, of course. For example, the teacher might have students conduct an
interview of a local celebrity, using the target language.

• E-Pen Pals

            Once    the use of  e-mail  became  somewhat    common, it  was natural to  use it  for

communicating with electronic or ‘e-pen pals.’ Sometimes, the pen pal connections
originate out of relationships between ‘sister schools,’ extended family ties, or the
personal networks of language teachers. Similar to the original pen pal idea,
students are encouraged to share in writing about themselves, their lives, and their
cultures in the target language. There are a number of models or designs for the e-
pen pal approach. Sometimes, teachers provide guiding questions that students can
use to communicate with their e-pen pal (such as ‘How would you describe your
town?’ ‘What is distinctive about your community?’ ‘What would a day in your
school be like?’ ‘Tell your pal about your family.’). Another approach has students
focusing on specific topics, such as current events.