Digital ELT tools for the 21st Century

by Paul Raine

In this presentation, the speaker introduced and demonstrated a wide selection of web-based English language teaching and learning tools, including some of those designed and developed by the speaker himself. Beginning with a primer on CALL acronyms such as SAMR, TAM, and TIM, Raine quickly brought Gunma JALT attendees up to speed with the lingo. Then he introduced Japanese terms gari-ben and suma-ben; with the former indicating a nose-to-the-grindstone traditional cramming, and the latter referring to smarter, focused study that is capable through computer analysis of previous performance. This was followed by a general discussion of previous performance. This was followed by a general discussion of the benefits and drawbacks of introducing tech in the classroom with some members offering their own personal experiences. With the necessary preliminaries taken care of, Raine then hit Gunma JALT attendees with a veritable deluge of digital and online resources––which are listed below –– and his new, still in beta, efl.digital. Finally all the attendees took part in a lively discussion of what was on the horizon as far as digital learning tools and how those might impact both students and teachers.

apps4efl.com - dozens of web-based elf tools

https://articoolo.com - artificial text creation

https://quizlet.com - studying using flashcards, games, and more

https://lingolab.live - multi-player language learning live quiz tool

duolingo.com - worldwide multilingual language learning tool

Paul Raine (MA TEFL/TESL, University of Birmingham 2012) is an award-winning teacher, presenter, author, and developer. His books include the best-selling 50 Ways to Teach with Technology and the innovative multi-path graded reader Journey to Mars. He has also developed his own website for teachers and learners of EFL (www.apps4efl.com). He has published numerous research articles on the teaching and learning of English as a second language, and is particularly interested in Computer Assisted Language Learning (CALL). He currently teaches at two universities in the Tokyo area.