Month: July 2023

The Best Free Digital Tools for Teaching English On-Line.

Here are 8 of my best digital tools that I use for teaching on line and in the classroom.

My Best 8 Digital Tools for Teaching English Online.

Teaching English online can be fun and rewarding, but it also requires some planning and preparation. You need to have the right tools to communicate with your students, create engaging materials, and provide feedback.

In this blog post, I will share with you some of the best digital tools for teaching English online that I have used and personally recommend.

There are free options for all of these tools which fits perfectly within my budget but does not provide me with any revenue.

If you see anything on your travels around my website that you think is cool, I would appreciate it if you purchase via me as so far I have kept this site ad free and would like to continue doing that.

Google Meet.

Google Meet is a video conferencing platform that allows you to host live classes with your students. You can share your screen, use captions, chat, and record your sessions. You can also create breakout rooms for group activities and use polls and quizzes to check understanding. Google Meet is free for anyone with a Google account and works on any device.

Most people I know use Skype, but I have always found this to be easier and the free period during covid was 30 minutes longer than Skype. The quality is exceptional and I never had any complaints from my students. I still continue to use Google Meet for my personal life as well as my business and can not fault the service.

Google Docs.

Google Docs is a word processor that lets you create and edit documents online. You can collaborate with your students in real-time, leave comments, and track changes. You can also use Google Docs to create assignments, quizzes, and feedback forms. Google Docs is part of Google Workspace, which also includes other tools like Google Slides, Google Sheets, and Google Forms.

I run Google Docs from my smartphone (As well as my laptop) and tie it into the books and lessons I am teaching on the day. With most of the tools being Google I find I have little to no problems. It is a no-brainer to use the whole set of Google tools to provide the best experience for your students and to make it easy for yourself.

Yes, there is a bit of learning to do to make sure everything runs seamlessly. But once you have done it a few times you will look like a master and your lessons will run as smoothly as silk.

Google Workspace.

Google Workspace is a suite of cloud-based applications that helps you manage your online teaching business. You can use Gmail to communicate with your students, Google Calendar to schedule your classes, Google Drive to store and share your files, and Google Classroom to organize your courses and assignments. Google Workspace is free for educators and students with a school email address.

Google Jamboard

Google Jamboard is a digital whiteboard that allows you to create interactive lessons with your students. You can draw, write, and add images, stickers, shapes, and text boxes. You can also import slides from Google Slides or PDF files. You can invite your students to join your jam session and collaborate with you on the same board. Google Jamboard is free for anyone with a Google account and works on any device.

Canva.

Canva is a graphic design tool that helps you create beautiful and professional-looking materials for your online classes. You can use Canva to design slides, posters, flyers, worksheets, certificates, logos, and more. You can choose from thousands of templates or create your own from scratch. You can also access millions of images, icons, fonts, and colors. Canva is free for basic features and offers a premium plan for more advanced options.

I use this for so many things, from designing class brochures to templates for advertising on social media. How can this still be free and offer so much? I am embarrassed to the degree I feel like I must upgrade to a paid membership.

There is also a special education offer for teachers and schools. Canva Education…

ChatGPT

ChatGPT is a chatbot that uses artificial intelligence to generate natural and engaging conversations in English. You can use ChatGPT to practice speaking and listening skills with your students or to provide them with extra practice outside of class. You can also customize ChatGPT to suit different levels, topics, and interests. ChatGPT is free for anyone to use and works on any device.

A,I is going to change so much of how things will be done, there is a steep learning curve in front of us all. My other website, which is called AITechWarriors will be helping people stay on top of what is happening in the field of A.I.

Speechnotes

Speechnotes is a speech-to-text tool that converts your voice into text. You can use Speechnotes to dictate your notes, essays, emails, or blog posts. You can also use Speechnotes to transcribe audio or video recordings of your classes or interviews. Speechnotes is fast, accurate, and easy to use. Speechnotes is free for anyone to use and works on any device.

This is a great tool as you can use it to test your students’ pronunciation and vocabulary skills as well as provide obvious benefits for the teacher.

Grammarly

Grammarly is a writing assistant that helps you improve your grammar, spelling, punctuation, vocabulary, and style. You can use Grammarly to check your writing for errors and suggestions on how to fix them. You can also use Grammarly to set goals for your writing based on your audience, tone, and purpose. Grammarly is free for basic features and offers a premium plan for more advanced options.

The basic version is so good I have never felt the need to upgrade. I am 100% happy with the format and what I can do with it. They have recently added an AI interface which I am playing with and it gives you 100 free “prompts” per month. Along with chatGPT and the other A.I tools, I doubt I will ever get to use the lot.

Quillbot

Quillbot is a paraphrasing tool that helps you rewrite any text in different ways. You can use Quillbot to avoid plagiarism, simplify complex sentences, or generate new ideas for your writing. You can also use Quillbot to change the tone or mood of your text based on different modes like formal, informal, creative, or humorous. Quillbot is free for up to 700 characters per paraphrase and offers a premium plan for unlimited paraphrasing.

This extension is permanently open on my browser and that shows you how often I use it. Being able to paraphrase something quickly is vital for my business, thus the reason I stare at it every day.

Final Thoughts.

These are my 8 favorite online tools for teaching English. There are many ways you can use them and, as is said, you are only limited by your imagination.

For example with “speechnotes” you could use it not just for translating from speech to text but you could use it for testing the vocabulary and pronunciation of your students. How well are they pronouncing that word? Are they stringing sentences together grammatically correctly?

With chatGPT, you can get your students to phrase questions about their favorite topics and see if the answer corresponds with what they thought.

So fire up the thinking cap and use the tools that we have on hand to make our classrooms a lot more fun. And if the above aren’t enough tools for you, here are a few more that I have reviewed and used in the past, and for most still do. Look at my post named “On-Line Teachers Tools to Make Life Easier”. It just rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it?

Steve.

Some links on this site may be affiliate links, and if you purchase something through these links, I will make a commission on them. There will be no extra cost to you and, you could actually save money. Read our full affiliate disclosure here.

Is School Good or Evil?

Picture Source: My Artwork, Night Cafe. A.I generated. 

Why Are Our Schools Failing?

Amid allegations that our schools have turned into nothing more than veritable cookie cutters for half-baked executives of the future, there are instances of teachers striving for excellence.

Let us look at this question specifically, and also look at it in the light of ESL. So we will discuss the question directly as it stands and also look at it from a few different perspectives.

Firstly I would like to delve into teaching English as a second language or E.S.L.

Is Teaching ESL Cultural Imperialism?

It doesn’t matter how long you have taught ESL, the question normally arises on a night out with a few teachers over a tipple or two. Are we really providing a service or are we perpetuating the cultural dominance of the U.S.A or England? I am going to play the devils advocate and throw the questions (and phrases) into the hypothetical mix, so you can think and answer at your leisure.

  • When English is taught as a second language, it can make English-speaking cultures more dominant and make local languages less important. This can lead to the loss of cultural diversity and fewer people speaking local languages.
  • Teaching English as a global language can make countries that already speak English more powerful in politics, economics, and culture. This can keep existing power imbalances in place and make it harder for other countries to become powerful.
  • When people learn English as a second language, they often learn about Western ideas and ways of thinking. This can make local knowledge and cultural differences less important or ignored.
  • Learning English very well can make people want to be more like English-speaking people and forget about their own language and culture. This can make unique cultural identities disappear.
  • Sometimes, programs that teach English in other countries don’t treat local teachers very well or give them bad working conditions. This can make things unfair and keep richer countries in control.

ESL, Changing Lives For The Better.

And here are the responses to advocate the opposing theory that ESL teaching is not ‘Cultural Imperialism” but is really “Socially Supportive”

  • Communication and opportunity: Learning English can improve your ability to communicate, provide you more access to educational and employment opportunities, and make it easier to collaborate globally, promoting cross-cultural understanding.
  • Individual empowerment: ESL instruction can give people more confidence by giving students the means to communicate clearly in a world that is becoming more interconnected and by enabling them to actively engage in global discussions.
  • Creating a bridge between cultures: Teaching ESL can serve as a bridge between many cultures, promoting understanding, empathy, and respect for various viewpoints.
  • Language preservation: When conducted properly, ESL instruction can coexist with the maintenance and resurgence of regional tongues and cultures, fostering multilingualism and cultural variety rather than eradicating it.
  • Choice among students: Students have autonomy when choosing ESL instruction, giving them the option of participating or not. In this instance, it might be viewed as a voluntary tool for personal empowerment and advancement as opposed to a cultural mandate.

Picture Source; My Artwork, Night Cafe.  A.I generated. 

Opportunities for Schools to Reshape the Future.

There are many parents, especially in the USA who believe the schooling system has lost its way. And I am not talking about E.S.L now, but the common core subjects in a normal public school. It feels like every time I go on to any social media outlet there is a rant against what is happening in the schools. And even though I will be focusing on the USA, I feel like it is a worldwide problem.

So what is happening in the schools in the USA at the moment? The “core curriculum” feels like it is being driven by big business that need workers that are willing to work for “next to nothing” and accept the corporate B.S.

I “Googled up” “Bill Gates” and public education and the headline that came up was “The Savior of Public Schools”. I am very pleased there was a question mark at the end of the headline.

The Savior of Public Schools.

Personalized learning seems to be the buzzword and it doesn’t look unreasonable. However, there are many points I would need to cover first. Not the least being, why have “trade classes” like metalwork and woodwork been removed from the curriculum? ( I am showing my age, but it worked for the students).

Schools used to have “body shops” that provided students who weren’t quite as academically gifted as some, the opportunity to learn a career in building cars and automotive repairs. Then they could step into this job straight after school and it worked.

And “Home Economics” used to be a thing, teaching sewing and cooking and it wasn’t just stereotypically females who enrolled into these classes.

Why were these courses dropped? In hindsight, it can be seen as a bad idea. Those students who weren’t motivated to sit in front of a computer all day were absorbed in learning a trade that they saw could make them money.

Now the same students sit in the computer classes and disrupt them because they are bored. And we blame ADHD and not the education system that is failing them.

Personalized Learning.

This is now what is being promoted as the new shift in teaching. In my opinion, I see nothing new in this and I am amazed we listen to somebody who never invented their own product and only donates to “future business opportunities”.

So this is what is described as “personalized learning”

“As part of the individualized learning paradigm, teachers supervise rather than lecture. They allow children individual work and group-based projects to learn as flexibly (and in as many contexts) as possible with the use of personal laptops and tablets.

Modern technology is expensive, therefore not many schools can afford to use the individualized learning approach. However, when districts do invest in it, the concept has been successful.

According to a report released last year, for instance, many of the students in 62 schools utilizing individualized instruction outperformed their peers in arithmetic and reading. Many people who had scored below average ended up above average”

Source: Rewritten Content from the “World Economic Forum“..

Final Thoughts.

Education is something that will set us free, and it is up to the individual teacher to make the most of what we have, to educate anyone who wishes to learn.

The best way to change the world is to change one person at a time. And by that I mean educate not indoctrinate.

This is by no means my normal type of post, however, I feel like it is something I have to say. Thanks for reading, I hope it gets you thinking. And I mean that in the nicest way possible.

Stephen.

Some links on this site may be affiliate links, and if you purchase something through these links, I will make a commission on them. There will be no extra cost to you and, you could actually save money.  Read our full affiliate disclosure here.