1- Blogs

As a foreign language teacher, I believe blogging is an ideal way to get learners more comfortable when they start learning writing skills as it is usually the hardest skill to develop. Learners will be able to improve spelling, language function and use, and hence the ability to convey meaning; in general it is a reflection of the learner’s language abilities and how much he/she is learning.

Blogging can be used as a collaborative writing tool; students can be divided into groups, the assignment or the project will be accessible to all participants, thus each learner will be able to read, reflect, edit mistakes, and provide a rational for any action he or she does on this writing part. Learners with lower language abilities will be able to benefit from a peer with higher language skills which will improve the quality of their project as a whole. At the same time, the teacher will have access to the learners’ blogs, and corrects and/or recommends any changes for a better presentation. This method could be very beneficial for online and face to face learners will be able to access at their own convenience especially that most adult learners are working or taking care of families. However, I would not recommend it for online learners solely as I believe a language has to be learned through live interaction between learners and their peers as well as their teacher.

2-      Podcasts:

This technology also has its potential success in foreign language learning especially English as it has the widest demand among learners. These podcasts are useful for listening, speaking, and presentation skills. These podcasts allow learners to listen to various audio materials, familiarizes them with different genres. Learners have to simply choose their area of interest for relevant topics. It also helps learners get ready for speaking and listening exams, take listening tests online. O’Bryan and Hegelheimer (2007) suggest that they might serve as a source of external classroom dis­cussions to strengthen the material covered in class and prepare learners for upcoming classes. They are also helpful in amending pronunciation, and increasing vocabulary in certain areas of interest which could provide immigrants with better employment opportunities since they are developing their computer skills at the same time. ESLpod.com offers over 500 free downloadable audio files.

http://lincs.ed.gov/publications/pdf/technology_paper_2010.pdf