Tema 24 a.doc

UNIT UNIT 24: TECHNO TECHNOLOG LOGICA ICAL L AND PEDAGO PEDAGOGIC GIC ASPECT ASPECTS S OF USIN USING G VISU VISUAL AL,, AURA AURAL L AND AND AUDI AUDIO-V O-VIS ISUA UAL L MATE MATERI RIAL ALS. S. COMP COMPU UTE TERS RS AS ADDI ADDIT TION IONAL RESO RESOUR URCE CE IN FORE FOREIG IGN N LANGUAGE LEARNING. 1. VISUAL, VISUAL, AURAL AURAL AND AND AUDIO-VIS AUDIO-VISUAL UAL MATERIA MATERIALS LS A number of new techniques for teaching English have been developed thanks to new technologies and the decease in price of appliances. These mach machin ines es have have cont contri ribu bute ted d grea greatl tly y to the the dive diversi rsifi fica cati tion on of teac teachi hing ng activities. They make learning more enjoyable and they are more and more widely used. Visual a!"#ials N"$s%a%"#s:  They are quite available available and cheap. They They include a wide variety variety of text types and a great amount of information from and about the target culture. t is an interesting way to bring the real world into the learning situation. t is also useful for integrating skills. !eading material leads easily into discussions and writing activities. "tories are interesting but date over very quickly. "o# it may be better to collect human interest stories which do not became out of date for a long period of time. $owever# even older pupils find newspapers difficult because of the special grammar conventions# unknown vocabulary# cultural references# etc. we should teach them some of the conventions of the newspaper  style at a basic level. "ome activities can be: %riting and replying small advertisements  %riting and replying to letters to agony aunts  !eordering paragraphs  !eplying to job ads  &redicting horoscopes  '.   E%is&'%": we can use this projector to show any material to the whole group. t is not useful for a long term.  O("#)"a* %#'+"&!'#: t is used with transparencies# transparencies# which are very easy to elaborate. elaborate. They can be partially covered and also superposed# so language can be  presented gradually. gradually. They are good for presentation and correction.

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Sli*"s: They can be easily made by the teacher or the pupils. They focus attention# being motivating and useful for story telling.  C'i&s a* s!'#''/s: &ictures are very motivating for children and help to understand the story. They usually have short texts# with similar structures. They can  be used to fill the bubbles# ordering the sequence# describing# retelling.  Ma0ai"s: They have very attractive pictures# good for cut)outs. *hildren can create their own material or illustrate descriptions of famous people.  P's!"#s: There is a wide range of posters and wall charts# in different types and si+es. They can be a guide for common expressions# reminders and visual aides. ,ery useful for descriptions.  Flas)&a#*s: They must be small and resistant# easy to manipulate. -ood for new vocabulary presentation# games# hide and seek# pointing# '  la&/'a#*: t is the most used in school. t is good for spontaneous examples and  presenting new language. The magnetic ones can be used for   presenting or illustrating an issue. The magnetic cut)outs can get moved and superposed. 

Au#al Ma!"#ials Ra*i':  s a wonderful way to develop listening skills. -raded radio lessons offer the opportunity to listen to programmes adapted to the pupils abilities# motivating them to future authentic listening. $owever# our   pupils do not have the necessary linguistic abilities to cope with radio  programmes. Cass"!!" #"&'#*"#:  The development of listening skills in the classroom situation relies on recorder material. *assettes provide a good model of spoken English. t is very useful for introducing new language and songs. *hildrens utterances can be recorded to be conscious of pronunciation. They can contrast their performance with the good model and also it can be useful for checking pronunciation achievement. There must be activities for   pre# while and post)listening. t can be listened more than once. There could be a listening corner in the classroom.

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La0ua0" 3la: *hildren work individually. t is useful for practising oral drills. t can also be boring and with no purpose.

Au*i'-(isual a!"#ials They include both# sound and pictures. T"l"(isi'  A T, language programme offers audio)visual clues to meaning. "tudents hear the language and see the context. t is a powerful motivator. t brings the outside world into the classroom# it is a powerful stimulus to talk about. t introduces the culture of the target language into the classroom and means a change from the teacher and the textbook# although it is difficult# for it cannot be repeated or stopped. Vi*"'  !ecordings offer the possibilities a live programme cannot. Teachers can plan the activities from a great range of sources: 0anguage)teaching broadcast  1ilms# cartoons# advertisements#'  T, programmes# documentaries  ,ideo recordings of classroom activities  ,ideo recordings show language in a context. The learners can see why things are said in a different way. They can pick speakers feelings and attitudes. ,ideo presentations allow reviewing and comprehension questions# follow)up ideas and suggestions. They generate interest and motivation and a good atmosphere for a successful learning. Teachers must take advantage of the power of video)films to create a successful language environment. t should be used as another technique for facilitating language acquisition. 0earners must take part and not think they are being entertained or  watching T, passively. t is essential the gradual introduction of video in the classroom. Vi*"'-as"* l"ss' %lai0 1or a one)hour class# it is enough to use an extract of between three and five minutes. f its length is of (2 minutes or more# it is better to play it once through and then go back and concentrate on short extracts. ,iewing the video about three times gives us the chance to get familiar  with it# study the language and behaviour as well as language use. f the video is difficult we may set the scene and explain a few words and sentences essential to understanding. 1or the first time students watch video# we could set an active viewing task  with techniques as silent viewing# prediction# thinking and feeling# sound only# true or false sentences# etc.

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There is a technique which requires answering these questions after  viewing: where# when# who# what# why# how4 "ilent viewing: the sound is turned down. 0earners can predict or guess what might be said. %hen the sound is played we can check whether  their expectations were right. 1ree+e frame: pressing the pause button allows to look more closely at individual images# utterances# ' within a sequence. t is useful for  detailed language study# observation and description. !ole play: acting out involves practising the exact words of a dialogue. 1or that# learners will need to look at the script and reproduce gestures# expressions# etc. t is important to be able to transfer language from the situation on the screen to their own usage. They can carry out creative activities like changing the setting somehow. 5ehaviour study: it focuses on non)verbal ways to express 6facial expressions# gesture# dresses# physical contact7 The main aim is to make learners conscious of the behaviour conventions in other cultures. They could be compared to behaviour conventions in their own culture. &rediction: the teacher stops the video and asks what is going to happen next 6look at the title and predict the topic# predict the end# guess the title# write the dialogue7 Thinking and feeling: this technique focuses on emotions between characters and its relation with what it is said 6body language# certain words# what the characters are thinking# how they would feel in case '# etc.7 "ound only: the screen must be covered or turned round. t is good for  describing things or people# identifying things by sounds or following a description of something. %atchers and listeners: half the class watches the scene and the other  half listens. The watchers explain to the listeners what they have seen. t is a good practice in speaking# observation and accurate reporting. Telling the story: the learners watch the end of a video sequence and try to construct the story. Then# they watch and contrast. *ulture comparison: it focuses on differences and similarities between the own culture and the target culture. t makes learners aware of their  own culture. ,ideo camera: four steps can be suggested to make use of the video recorder: Talking head: one person talking to the camera 8ialogues: people talking together  -roup discussion: a group is filmed while discussing   

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A project work: the use of a camera for  recording interesting items# and also the learners performances in the target language.

To evaluate the video# it must be reflected the aims of using it. if there are no specific learning aims# there is no point in making a film. C'%u!"#s 0earning with computers is quite new# as there are only programmes for   beginners in certain areas# such as word building# vocabulary# prepositions# etc. t is very useful at personal level but not in conventional schools. t is quite expensive for a group and it needs some knowledge on how to operate it. "ometimes it makes tasks easier and more enjoyable. t is highly motivating. The main activities are matching# gap)filling# sentence correction# multiple choice# odd out# putting the paragraphs in order# relating parts# true or false# etc. There is a programme called -rammar *hecker; for spelling mistakes#  punctuation# usage# ' but it cannot correct meaning and style. t is good for teachers if programmes are already made. They can use the spare time to assist weaker pupils. t can result boring sometimes. t can only be used for written skills.

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