the use of PLE and VLE/LMS in EFL teaching

I like the choices of tools available on the web. I try them all and when one suits my needs I use it. I blog, tweet, map, tag, chat, skype, and text heaps.

Moreover, I sometimes get restricted to access to many of these sites, so I feel at a disadvantage to people like me who try everything. I think if a course requires us to use a tool, we have to be able to access it through the university website. Also my social networking site I access at home is now trying to charge for the service. So how long these "free tools" remain free?

But in general, learning is about what we want from it, not being restricted to simple old-fashioned tools. it's like having too travel by bike when there is a fast train to be taken. there are many of us trying to update our skills and get a handle on this new technology. we need a careful introduction, not just exposed to a free for all!

This is ok for the young technologically minded people. they can probably learn all themselves, the question, then, what do they need a university/school course for? Teachers in this regard, need to be more open-minded and develop more flexibility in their thinking. students will want to use the tools they know and like and why should they be restricted. if they want to meld their social life with their study and use the same environments, then great, I am all for it.

In developing countries, access can be poor and slow. in these circumstances, learning is not democratic as some have good access while others don't. however, we should be learning about the latest technology and the best way to do this is by working with it. the theory is fine, but I need to experience it as a learner to know how I can apply it in my teaching, although this is still very frustrating and time-consuming. but the essential tools should be provided by the university/school and we should access the web for experience with other new tools.

DST activity 2

The following video is another example of how DST can be used to teach English.

The task was for freshmen students of English Communication (EC) at the American University of Armenia.

Students were asked to create a digital story of the topic of "Motivation". then bring them to class for in-depth discussion.

Affordances and limitations of the chat-bots and automated speech recognition (SR) software

One affordance of these technologies is that they encourage students, especially, low-elementary students or kids, to initiate and lead a spontaneous interaction with an English speaking entity. although the interaction is not as authentic as it is in real life. but it's still helpful for such students to build their "confidence" and "fluency" with using the language Coniam (2008).

One of the limitations though is also the type of interaction and the language used. In relation to what has been mentioned above, these technologies are robotic in using the language. Therefore, they have limitations in discussing general knowledge issues. Therefore, such tools might not be useful and effective for upper-intermediate students and above Coniam (2008).

An example of integrating these tools in an ESL classroom would be the following. the task is targeting 10-year-old elementary students at an international preschool in Armenia. the task is a part of their homework. studnets are assigned to intiate a conversation with one of the chat-bots (Mitsuku at http://www.mitsuku.com) for at least 10 minutes a week about different topics. sometimes the teacher can ask students to discuss the topics they learn in class. after that, students bring their conversations to class. the teacher gives feedback to the structure of the students' questions and answers, grammar, vocabulary choice, etc. however, this would help the teacher during the course to monitor the overall progression of the students' learning process.

digital story-telling (DTS) activity

The following post gives an example of how DTS can be integrated into an ESL classroom. first, the task is targeting elementary Armenian students at the age of 12-16 years old in one of the EEC classes.

The overall goal of the task is to bring creativity to the way students do their poster presentations every semester. firstly, students into groups of four are required to work collaboratively to make a presentation about one famous Armenian.

Using one feature of Microsoft PowerPoint software, of creating videos. they have to export the presentation into a video. Students have the freedom to decide what to include in their presentations. they have the choice of including images, texts, videos (although that might be challenging for them to synchronize with the rest of the slides) and they might record their voices too.

In relation to ISTE standartsd and the types of literacies discussed in Hughes and Robertson (2010), this task helps teachers to integrate their students' general use of technology into the classroom. stressing the idea of "Innovative Designer" students use the technology within a design process to plan and manage their projects. The task also helps students to work collaboratively using technology and to be able to communicate their ideas more effectively.

MALL activity

The following post explains how the MALL principles (mentioned in Stockwell and Hubbard, 2013) with elementary EFL nine-year students in a private school in Armenia. First, activities are created to allow learners to study the vocabulary presented in their English textbooks. The activities simply ask students after each lesson to take pictures that show the words they have learned. After that, students need to upload these photos to their teacher's driver. Then the teacher uses the photos in vocabulary activities consisted of short multiple-choice questions, vocabulary matching questions, and gap-filling questions that could be created using the Quizzlet app. The teacher can use these activities every other lesson or at the end of the unit to revise the vocabulary learned.

This task takes into consideration several  MALL principles. For example, in relation to principles 1 and 5, the task is considering the limitations that students at such age might either use a computer only or their phones are basic but they still can take photos at least. Therefore, learners are given the option of using either their mobile phones or desktop computers (PCs) to upload the photos and complete the activities. 

Moreover, in relation to principles 2 and 3, students are not required to make a lot of effort using their phones (or computers) to complete the task. In relation to the pull & push mechanisms, the students have their own right to take the photos and upload them at any time before the next lesson and their teacher does not need even to remind them every time and push them to do so.

Likewise, in relation to principles 6 and 7, besides being that short and simple, the task does not ask students to use their phones in a way that breaks their privacy or uses them in an uncomfortable situation whatsoever. in fact, taking pictures is one of the most common things they use their phones during the day.

the use of "Minecraft" in EFL

the following example explains the use of "Minecraft" in an EFL classroom.
the lesson is targetting 8-10-year-old students.

This lesson plan caters to students whose interest is in Art and they love creating patterns using technology. Especially for engaging girls in using Minecraft to create patterns and motifs. Students will understand patterns in history to identify information about how people lived, their beliefs, their surroundings, and culture. Students will be able to:
  • understand patterns using basic geometry & color to develop their ideas (mathematics)
  • understand & gain knowledge about patterns from different countries (social science)
  • Analyze a piece of art to convey information & tell a story in context (art)
  • Demonstrate ability to recreate patterns using their knowledge of space, measurement & shape design
  • Identity contrast, repetition, variety, and symmetry within patterns (mathematics)
  • Design in Minecraft - (technology)


The teacher will share photographs of patterns from across the world as a provocation to the unit. Students will work in groups to analyze the given pattern and make assumptions about what the pattern conveys. They do this by identifying contrast, repetition, variety, and symmetry within patterns. The students will then research the appearance of such patterns in history to identify information about how people lived, their beliefs, their surroundings, and culture. They will then research further about the pattern from a particular place/region and choose a pattern that best conveys the culture of that place. Next, they’ll create a plan to recreate the patterns using graph paper before creating a piece of the pattern in a Minecraft world along with an explanation.