ICT and English

Blogs are also a type of CMS that allow us to arrange information in different categories and, as I mentioned in the post “What is a blog?”, posts are organized chronologically and they are regularly updated . I found an interesting blog which is called Click on , that focuses on teaching the English language in a very didactic way. What I like the most about this blog, is that it does not only provides grammar content but also it incorporates sections for learning English in a more entertaining way, such as films, songs, jokes, etc. Apart from that, it is a blog that wants to provide students with strategies in order to learn English in context and all the sections are clearly organized. Some of these sections provide images, videos, handouts for students to make them practice the language. 

Looking at the different website examples provided in the unit, we can see how different they are depending on what content management software they have used to create their website. The main differences that we can see between them are in terms of organization, images/videos used, social media, websites associated, etc. The one CMS that I prefer is called Drupal, because I think it provides a better organization of the different contents, it has more interactive images and what is more, it has attached different social media sites that the author uses. The web pages that use Drupal are, in my opinion, more attractive, personalized and compare to the others which are a bit basic, this system offers more extensions to work with. Let’s take the example of https://alicante.salesianos.edu/ : As you can see it is well organized and provides different sections that lead us to the different type of information we are looking for. It also has sections dedicated to their soci...

Joomla is a content management system (also known as CMS) for publishing web content. This system has the advantage of being free and allows you to build powerful online applications. As a CMS, it provides facilities for multiple users with different permission level to manage content, data or information of website project or intranet application. This application is useful for teachers to share content of the subject they are in charge or assess their students. They can also give information to students about their learning process, and they can even motivate and encourage interaction and communication between their students. It contains different features that we can take advantage from, for instance: some Joomla! Essentials are that it offers over 70 languages, which is great depending on the working language we use to teach. It also offers different design features so that you can create and personalize your webpage and it claims to be easy to manage. Taking a look to t...

The Cloud or Cloud Computing is an online tool for storing and accessing data and programs for your digital devices. Although this service that most companies are offering nowadays it is claimed that it is one of the most popular services, we may find some advantages and disadvantages that we have to analyze here: Advantages: Back up and Recovery: The process of recovering information is easy thanks to the creation of the Cloud as simplified since those now reside on the cloud and not on a physical device. Imagine you have lost our phone and you want to recover all your contacts, now it is easy to do it with this tool. Increased storage capacity: The cloud can accommodate and store much more data compared to a personal computer and in a way offers almost unlimited storage capacity. Smaller learning curve: Cloud applications usually require small learning curves as people are used to them. Even, users find it simple to use them. Quick deployment and easy integrat...

The learning context I would like to teach is Secondary Education (ESO) and Bachillerato. The methodology I would like to use in my lessons to teach the different language skills required in a more interactive and engaging way is the following one: I would use activities/contents that can engage the interest of my students. For example, in order to teach grammar or vocabulary, I would use activities where they can use the issues taught but, in real life task or situations. For example, if I teach reported speech, some activities that I will use are: in pairs, they would write questions they would like to ask to a celebrity, and one of them would pretend is the celebrity and other the interviewer. Later, the interviewer will report the answers of the celebrity. Another activity that they would enjoy is writing in groups a letter to a friend asking for advice and they will exchange their letters with other classmates and report the problem in indirect speech. Regarding the other lan...

Important words in English Language Classes: