• “Man is still the most extraordinary computer of all.”-John F. Kennedy

• Depending on how we use technology, it can be a blessing or a curse.

• On the positive side, technology connects students from diverse social and cultural backgrounds and helps them gain and develop research skills at a young age. After all, many of our young students are technically savvy.

• Both students and teachers have access to a variety of knowledge that can be utilized by both groups.

• Teacher can also collaborate and share their thoughts and resources through email, blogging or other online transmitting devices.

• However, much of the research claims that technology has not really helped students be more successful academically. It is after all a tool and not a means to an end.

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• We can find many examples of native influences of technology on the people: For example, today there are more people who text more than write, and many do not have good spelling skills because they can just use a spell checker instead of actively trying to spell.

• Cell-phones are a great distracting factor in classrooms which challenge teaching and learning. The problem is that technical devices are multifunctional devices that students are often tempted to use various application that have nothing to do with the content being taught.

• Students are often tired in class because of surfing and chatting all night long with friends living on the other end of the globe. This can challenge the teaching process.

• Nevertheless, I am convinced that a very selective use of technology can improve learning and teaching. Technology is a tool and not a means to an end. It should be used when it can aid the learning and teaching process.

• Although, technology does not change the content that you wish to transmit to the student, the way it is delivered or integrated into the class activity can affect how the information is processed by the students.

• In a writing class: The emotional appeal in Advertising • Short film clips or full length videos are an engaging way to comprehend words or phrases which

are difficult for to understand. They are also a good way to learn about current events through news broadcasts.

• Once my students were stuck with the expression “emotional appeal” that occurred in a reading. However, the integration of technology helped me make my students understand what was meant. I did the following:

• 1. I showed them a funny add on YouTube that would appeal upon their emotions.

• 2. They instantly laughed and knew what the expression meant. It would • not have been impossible without technology. • Here is the video I showed them: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Set-r53xvBI

3. This was an in-class writing activity and students watched clips, discussed the steps of events that happened in the clip, and also talked about their emotional reactions to the clips. Finally, they had to express all the sequences of events and their emotional appeal.

4. This assignment went very successfully.

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• In 2006 my drama students acted out a play which they wrote, and edited. I gave them the plot for a play called “A Ghost in Love.”

• This was a very successful work for the students and myself. • Students enjoyed the whole process and they took charge of the

input and output.

• I filmed the play but they edited the movie on movie maker. They could have filmed it too however, they were not officially allowed to handle the camera.

• Every person in class played their role in this play and students

felt a strong sense of community and a feeling achievement.

• This was in a writing class:• There was less time and students had to do a reading to accomplish the

writing task.• I used the “Flipped Class” technique and asked my students to do the

reading at home. Often they don’t read at home, so I did the following:• I gave them a questionnaire so that they were compelled to read the text

and to answer the questions. I also told them that they would get points for completing this assignment.

• With their peers they had to discuss and answer the questions in pairs chat or texting and it was quite popular at that time.

• Students enjoyed being able to do it from their home and being able to communicate with their phones.

• You could also have the students blog about the text and have them discuss the themes.

• The best part was that in the following class I gained time and could move on much faster with the content.

• Writing assignment:

• Going to the lab and having students work on an essay or research the internet is a good activity. However, the learning potential is not always increased by being in the lab. Such activities could also be done at home or in a classroom using tablets as well. Some students enjoy being in the lab because they can check emails or open face-book. Others are focused on the work.

• Another approach could be to have students use other forms of technology than a computer or the internet alone. You can integrate art into a writing project. For example students could use digital cameras and make pictures of the campus or architecture, gather information, record survey interviews, and then write about the whole process. In this case different technological instruments can help collect information and then evaluate them in the writing process. This is an activity in which the use of different technologies contribute to the essay which they would write.

• Such activities are more engaging because they make students take charge for their written product. Student explore different technological devices that promote communication. Such activities also compel student to decide which technological device to use. For example they could make a short movies describing an area or art work that one can see in the city. After filming they would could edit the movie and then finally write about it as well.

• As we all know second language acquisition goes beyond the language to the study of culture, ways of thinking, and society. In this connection, the creative use of technology to integrate art with a certain content helps students link language with the culture it is embedded in.

• For example if they read, and listen about cultural aspects of America, and then create a collage about what they learned, then they get emotionally and artistically involved with the field of study. This helps them get a broader perspective of the culture which is helpful to interpret cultural differences and values. In such an activity, students can do a project about American Culture by creating a collage of some of the values they learned about and which they could relate to.

• As a next step they would have to write about the collage by explaining the meaningful elements it bears. As a next step they would have to explain why they consider certain elements as the important. For example:

Let us view a collage on American political history: Students would have to explain the elements that they chose in their collage. Such activities involve research, an artistic expression of the content in form of a collage, and an essay that explains the elements in their collage. Then they also have to explain what inspired them in the context of class.

Such activities help students discover their own standpoint in the context of the cultural elements they are learning about unit

You may be teaching during the African American Heritage month and teach your students about the contributions of African Americans and how they have impacted American society with their music, dance etc.

Student can collaborate and create a collage. Then each group member can write about one aspect depicted in the collage. For example one student writes about Jazz, another about the Blues, someone else can write about Rock or Rap….

Students can also explain why they find a certain part of the culture meaningful. It is important that students explain their choice. Such activities are very communicative, engaging and motivating because students can research about biography, build their own critical views on cultural elements, and talk about aesthetics in art and music.

Although art and language may seem like two totally different areas, they are actually very closely connected. In fact, art and language have a mutual quality: Both can communicate. After all, pictures, photos, paintings, sculptures etc. tell a story which we verbalize.

The surface structure of language may be full of grammatical rules, which serve as tools to express our thoughts, feelings, emotions, and values. However, on a much deeper level, language can also be an artistic expression of our soul.

For example if we are teaching a literary class like short-stories, then we can use paintings, art work, comics, or digital art to create stories. If your students have to come up with a short story, it is much easier for them to create a story if they have a paintings, photo, picture to speak about because such art words are like visual cues which students can discover and talk about.

Here are some steps to work your students. It is easier to work with a painting, photo etc. than a sculpture because such art forms bear a narrative element in them which we can see. Each painting actually tells a story.

1.Choose a painting, photo, illustration, digital image….

2.Think about vocabulary which would be useful to interpret or describe the art image.

3.If you have beginner students, choose simple words which they can relate to: Mother, father, child, dancer, very close….

4.If you have more advanced students, you can have them learn more advanced vocabulary: intimate, deep emotions, glowing posture…

You can choose the level of vocabulary that suits the level that you are teaching and tailor it to your needs.

5. Teach your students the vocabulary and make sure that they can use them.

6. After you have established the vocabulary, you can start introducing the theme. It could be about family life, personal relationships etc.

7. You can ask students question that can help them understand the painting. You could ask them whether they make family photos which they most probably do.

8. You could ask them whether they like how family photos are taken

and whether they collect family photos.

9. Ask them why they think people take family photos and then slowly move the conversation into the theme of the family in the painting who may have lived at a much earlier time than today.

10. Now have them brainstorm a story around the figures in the painting. Depending on the painting, and how many figures are in in it, you can come up with variations of plots. If there is action in the background, students will create different stories which have to do with what the art work shows and which emotions it evokes. In this way, students can use their inspirations to create a short story. They can think about what was before the scene that they see in the picture. Then they can create a story using imagination about possible future actions.

In another class, students could create a travel brochure and the landscape photo could be the destination for the travel.

We should not limit ourselves because art can be used in many ways.

• Having a real field trip is a very valuable experience.

• Sometime the budget may not be enough.

• Therefore, a digital fieldtrip is a great option.

• Students can research them on the net and then present what they found. There are many one the internet.

• http://www.scoop.it/t/esl-teaching-and-learning

• Using Technology to create a collage to study about role of art in business and advertising.

• When students create a collage, they also need to create a key to the collage explaining why they chose the picture and put them together. This can be a writing activity which can be an essay about the collage and it can be done with the help of technology

MarilynMonroe

Image of nature

Your product

Photo of a scene from a movie

VanGogh

Your company name

Short message in graffiti letters related to your product

Your contact number

Schreck

• Gamestolearnenglish.com

• http://www.pogo.com/games/scrabble

• Boggle

Students can master spelling, grammar and other English skills by playing games on the computer or mobile devices.

• A class blog is a good forum to practice writing skills. The websites mentioned below let you blog for free :

• Live Journal

• Edublog

• Blogger

Such activities offer a chance to have an authentic writing experience because more people can post their comments. This can encourage students to put more effort in writing blogs.

You can have student write about you are currently teaching on weekly or daily basis

• J. Mariah Brown: Does The Use of Technology In The Classroom Increase Student’s

Overall Academic Performance?

• Klein J. D.: When you can’t bring your classroom to the world, bring the world to the classroom, in Youth Media Report, 2010, pp 486-488

• My own ideas from a previous presentation

• Busiteacher.com: “10 Ways to use Technology in Class”.