Wikis

I personally support using Wikis in ESl/EFL classrooms and I think that it’s a great CALL tool that can help students collaborate and work together at a distance. I can totally see myself using it especially in my future writing classes because I believe that it will create a useful learning opportunity for my students.

I think that teachers should not assume that students have the same computer literacy and should spend some time teaching students how to use this tool. I think that this is going to be a great investment that will pay off later when students benefit from this tool and start using it efficiently.

My main concern about Wikis is that students may get intimidated if any of their group members edited or deleted their parts. Another problem is that students may make some unnecessary changes that other group members may not approve. So, teachers should encourage students to be accepting of other students’ participations and guide them in using this collaborative tool.

Project Proposal

I’m planning to use HospitalEnglish.com to teach advanced medical students enrolled in a computer equipped medical English classroom that is part of an ESP program. The purpose of using this web site in addition to other websites mentioned below is to develop students’ vocabulary, reading, listening, pronunciation, and speaking skills associated with asthma disease. First, students will be introduced to key vocabulary associated with asthma disease and will hear the pronunciation of these words. Then, they will listen to a podcast that presents overview information about asthma, followed by multiple choice questions and fill in the blanks exercises. As a follow up activity, students will be divided into groups of 3; each group will be asked to read different authentic articles about asthma and present them in class. By doing so, students will get to practice their reading and speaking skill and will benefit from each other’s presentations by learning more information about this disease. I believe that HospitalEnglish.com, TheFreeDictionary.com, and QsWorkout.com will enhance language acquisition for the targeted students because they will provide them with a variety of activities that incorporate several language skills specifically designed for the targeted students. Moreover, after this lesson, students will learn how to use HospitalEnglish.com for independent learning.


Link to web sites that I will be using:

TheFreeDictionary.com

Asthma Quiz

Online Asthma Articles

Airport Transportation Podcast

The following podcast is designed to provide low-intermediate ESL/EFL students with information about airport transportation options in the United States.

Helpful vocabulary from this lesson:

Click on each of the words below for a link to the online free dictionary.


Transportation
Get around
Travel
Comfort
Airport
Shuttle
Taxi
Limousine
Expensive
Option
Book(v)
Reserve(v)
Order(v)
Service
Guest
Fixed
Rate
Receipt
Cheat
Destination
Style

Pre-listening activity:

Before you listen to the podcast, answer the following questions:

• Do you like traveling? If yes, Why? If no, why not?
• When you travel, how do you usually get around from the airport?

Now please listen to the following podcast:

Airport Transportation Podcast


Post-listening activity:

After listening to the podcast, please answer the following questions:

• List the transportation options discussed in the podcast?
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of each option?
• Which one do you prefer? Why?


Useful links:

• Airport shuttle companies in the USA
• Taxi Services in the USA
• Limousine Services in the USA