Outline of Lecture Notes
Leslie Opp-Beckman
"An Overview of Information and Communication Technologies
for Thai English Teachers"
Thailand-Oregon Videoconference, September 12, 2003
This web page consists of the following
sections:
- • Outline of
Lecture Notes
• Suggested Discussion
Questions
• Bio for Leslie
Opp-Beckman
• More Information on Other
Thailand-Oregon Projects
-
Outline of Lecture Notes
The lecture part of the videoconference consists
of an overview of web-based resources for English as a
Foreign Language (EFL) instructors in Thai middle and
secondary schools. This is not an in-depth or
comprehensive list of everything that is available, as we
have limited time available to us for this session.
Instead, it is a sample of some of the kinds of materials
and tools that educators can review for use in
conjunction with EFL classes in Thailand. Ultimately, it
is up to each teacher to evaluate and select those
resources that best fit the needs of his or her own
students.
The lecture is divided into two parts. Part I,
Harvesting Teacher Resource Materials from the Web,
demonstrates a variety of materials and teaching ideas
that educators can access for reading, copying, and/or
printing. Part II, Using the Web in the Classroom as a
Student Resource, identifies and defines some interactive
online resources and tools that can be used in a class or
lab that has one or more computers. In all cases, web
sites and resources in this lecture are freely and
publicly available.
New! The web sites used
as examples the lecture are available as a separate
list:
Web
Site Examples
Part I, Harvesting Teacher Resource Materials from
the Web
- Traditional Skills Areas
Web sites that complement the teaching of traditional
skill areas such as reading, writing and grammar.
- Lesson Plan Repositories
Archives of existing lesson plans in English. Some are
designed for EFL educators, while others are designed for
skill and content areas taught in English (e.g. skills
such as science and math, and a wide range topics such as
insects and animals, the body and health issues, weather,
travel, inventions, etc.).
- Research Tips
Tips for finding materials that fit curriculum and
resources that teachers already have (e.g. professional
organizations, education portals, media, and publishers).
Part II, Using the Web in the Classroom as a
Student Resource
- Interactive Sites
An overview of educational resources such as simulations,
virtual tours and museums, language games, action mazes,
quizzes and surveys. Some resources have ready-made
contents and activities, while others allow educators to
input their own content.
- Email
Practical examples and for using email as a language tool
with individual students or as a group.
- Discussion Tools
A brief overview of synchronous (real-time) and
asynchronous (not in real-time) tools that educators can
use in the language classroom, with attention to issues
such as managing numbers, setting up effective tasks, and
assessing outcomes.
[Top]
Suggested Discussion
Questions
The following questions are suggested as a guide
for the discussion that will follow the lecture. I would
like to be as flexible as possible and accommodate
participants' interests. Videoconference participants are
welcome to choose among the questions and ask them in any
order. They are also encouraged and welcome to ask
related questions.
- Skill Areas: Are there some language skill areas that
the computer does a better job of addressing than others,
and why or why not? Can we look for changes in this in
the future?
- Lesson Plans: In our curriculum, we use [put a
topic of your choice here] as a topic in our English
classes for [put your students' grade level
here]. Can you give an example of how to match a
lesson plan from one of these web sites to this
topic?
- Research Tips: Can you be more specific about the
kind of criteria that you use when you are evaluating web
sites for classroom use?
- Interactive Sites: Do I need a language lab in order
to use these web sites in my classroom?
- Email: What are some problem areas to watch for when
using email in my classroom?
- Discussion Tools: This seems really advanced. Under
what kinds of conditions would I even consider using this
type of tool?
- Can we use these web sites without violating
copyright?
- Do you think that computers will replace language
teachers?
- We're worried that our students might know more than
we do. How can we overcome this problem?
- Finding good resources and matching them to our
classes takes a lot of work. How can we build on and
share the work that we do with our other colleagues in
Thailand?
[Top]
Bio for Leslie Opp-Beckman
Leslie Opp-Beckman is on faculty at the
University of Oregon's American English Institute where
she serves as Technology and Distance Education
Coordinator and teaches a combination of face-to-face and
online distance education courses related to English
language learning and teaching. She has developed and
implemented numerous professional development
opportunities for English teachers nationally and
internationally in Asia, Africa and Europe. Her areas of
interest, research, and publication center around
Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL) and online
learning environments. She does CALL-related consulting
on a regular basis for entities such as USAID, the U.S.
State Department, and the Commission on English Language
Program Accreditation (CEA). She has served in a number
of leadership positions for local and international
organizations such as TESOL (Chair of TESOL's CALL
Interest Section, a member of its Technology Advisory
Board, and as a member of its Web Advisory Committee). In
addition, she is currently the Compleat Links columnist
for TESOL's new publication "Essential
Teacher." For more information, see Leslie
Opp-Beckman's CV.
[Top]
More Information
For more information on other programs with the
University of Oregon and Thailand, please see:
Thailand-Oregon
Web Site
[Top]
Videoconference
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-
- Last Updated: 11 September
2003
- Contact: Leslie Opp-Beckman,
leslieob@uoregon.edu
American
English Institute
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