THE  JOYFUL OF TEACHING AND LEARNING IN PRIMARY SCHOOL

BY USING WEB 2.0 AND VIRTUAL TOOLS

Created Using www.Fotor.com

Images taken from Google Images

Written and Designed by

Licda. Patricia Mauricio

EFL Teacher

Ministry of Education

Educative Region of Coto

Introduction.

If someone had ever told me that I was going to design learning materials that involved the use of virtual tools, I would have answered that for me it would be impossible because of my age and my lack of training about it.

But, I am here at this point of my professional formation, discovering that with the correct guidance and practice, it is possible to improve and evolve toward the use of technology and virtual tools, and go hand in hand with the new useful, meaningful, interesting and colorful forms to teach English as a Foreign Language.

SoundCloud, is one of the virtual tools that I am learning to use to produce my own teaching materials and to train my students about how to use it for learning purposes.

SoundCloud and Listening and Speaking Skills in EFL lessons at MEP.

         In the Ministry of Education, teachers are not allowed to use any Textbook. Neither Students Books nor Workbooks, already designed and find in the libraries for learning purposes can be used in our lessons as official materials. The most that teachers can do is to select from different textbooks certain activities. In most of the cases the activities selected have to be modified to be suitable for the students´ language level domain and to fit to the learning goals and contents of the Official Syllabus.

Using SoundCloud as a E-learnning and E-teaching tool.

         Having SoundCloud as a technological tool to create recorded teaching instruments, give me the possibility to design my own materials, fulfilling my students’ needs, respecting their language level domain and fitting in the learning goals and contents of the Syllabus.

         SoundCould is a virtual tool that makes me possible to produce recorded materials to train my students in their listening skills. This resource can achieve great results when it is worked in the company of Google Forms.

         In the case of the speaking skills, it is possible that, once the teacher train their students in the use of SoundCloud, they can produce their own materials for several purposes. For example, they can monitor their own oral production about their pronunciation, or can create a narration that can be accompanied by visuals using Fotor as a virtual tool.

Using Cellphones as Learning Tools.

Taken from Google Images

         The fact that most of the teenagers have cellphones, makes easier to promote the use of SoundCloud as a recording and learning tool. As someone said: “nowadays children were born with the chip inserted in their brains”. Children can create and share their productions using the cellphone and the diverse virtual tools a teacher can train them to use. In this case, the tool is Sound Cloud. Also, it is possible to promote communication, cultural exchanges, establishes connections, creating communities, all of these in favor of their English Learning process.

 Conclusion.

         It is interesting the use of word “mashup”, which is understood in this case as a mixture or fusion of different elements. And this is exactly what happens when a teacher starts using Web 2.0 and different virtual tools and creates a document that includes several types of virtual tools, with different formats, but all of them are organized to serve to a leaning purpose. This is E-learning and also E-teaching.

         The results can be amazing not only for students but also for teachers, because the sense of feeling of creating something and at the same time achieve learning…  is full of joyfulness!... 

         This is what we need, to promote in our students the joyfulness of learning their English Language and at the same time a responsible and useful way of using technology.

Taken from Google Images