Nowadays, ESL teachers have to be more and more creative in their of ICTs in the classrooms. Smartboards and Activboards, course portals, websites and others have become frequently used resources in a lot of language classes. However, some resources may be harder to use and the line is thin between an effective and an excessive use of them. Which websites or softwares to use, and how to use them effectively in class? Also, how to integrate these resources in your lessons?
Youtube is an easy to use website and a great tool to use in class. It is a video hosting website, and currently hosts most videos found online. It is simple to get started on this website: one does not even have to create an account! Still, creating a free account can come in handy. Every user can like videos, put them in their ‘favorite video’ folder and create playlists . The account also allows you to upload videos to Youtube, as well as to let you follow other users, and be notified every time they post a new video.
But how to integrate this website into actual classes? A lot of ways exist.
- You can create a class routine by presenting a video (linked with the content of that particular lesson) at the beginning of every class.
- By searching for tutorials and ‘online classes’ on particular subject, you can provide ‘at home resources’ for your students.
- You can make your own videos, if you have the skills, and upload them yourself on Youtube.
- Find clips from televised news, and add it to your class routine. It shows your students a little ‘culture’ of English-speakers.
- It is easy to creates activities using youtube videos. (For example, show a small video of a tv show or a movie and then ask your students about it.
Good points of youtube:
- It can easily be used for educational purposes. (Actually, it was ranked third in the 8th Annual Survey of Learning Tools)
- It is very user-friendly; all options are easily found and searching for videos is pretty easy. You only have to write the subject in the search bar on top of the screen.
- There are even tutorials to search more effectively on that website (X X).
- There are a lot of relevant channels, and you can find experiments, lectures, tutorials and many more. Most news channel have their own website.
- It is free to use.
The downsides of youtube:
- There is an ad at the start of every video.
- There is A LOT of content on the website, so finding the right channel or video can be quite difficult.
- It is difficult to monitor students’ work during the projection of the video.
Here are some exemples of educational channels/videos on Youtube:
- A list of 100 videos on different subjets, almost all in English, that can be used for various activities.
- A list of Youtube channels for learning English.
- Misterduncan‘s channel, where you can find small English lessons, created around vocabulary.
- JenniferESL‘s channel, where English lessons are available.
Many more are available online, you just have to search!
technologies and esl 