Moodle in the Communicative Language Classroom: An

Introduction

by Daniela Tonelli and Cecilia Cicolini

April 2011

What is a VLE?

'A Virtual Learning Environment is a collection of integrated tools enabling the management of online learning, providing a delivery mechanism, student tracking, assessment and access to resources'.

How does a VLE operate?

• Teachers can easily add a variety of online resources and assignments into a learning menu.

• Each student access the VLE through a unique username and password.

• Once inside their course, students can interact with their teachers and classmates.

 Some assumptions for effective use of VLEs

•  Using new technologies in education is not an end in itself but rather an up-to-date means to an end.

• The new form is but a vessel for the old content.

Don´t panic!

Too much is often made of training teachers to use VLEs. The most important factors are common

sense in transferring the art and skills of teaching to the online teaching environment (Robin

Mason).

Available Resources and Activities within

• Textpages and Webpages• Links to Files or

Websites• Assignments• Chatrooms• Quizzes and

questionnaires.• Forums

• Glossaries and vocabulary games

• Mindmaps• Audio Recorders• Blogs and wikis• Surveys• WiZiQ Live Classes• Etc.

What type of content should we include in our VLE, if we teach

English for communication?The content we include should:

• encourage interaction.

• be engaging, effective and relevant

• encourage learner autonomy.

• acknowledge the social nature of language

• focus on meaning

• focus on learning by doing.

Vocabulary activities within

• Vocabulary records using wikis.

• Setting up a categorized class glossary, which can be updated by students in the class or at home.

• Link to an online dictionary

• Using the games module.

• Using Glossaries to create a “Word of the Day” feature.

• Creating Crosswords or Gap Fills in HOT POTATOES.

Why glossaries?

• They help us keep an easily-accessible, permanent record.

• They are searchable.• They can be categorised.• They can be sorted out by author, category and word.• We can auto-link words from texts in our e-courses to

the glossary.• We can enable the “comments” feature, which allows

students to provide examples.

The Games Module

• Hangman

• Crossword

• Sodoku

• Snakes and Ladders

Speaking

A useful tool for Speaking:

Speaking Activities

PRONUNCIATON

• Pronunciation Clinics: Helping students improve pronunciation using webpages and Nanogong or forums.

• Adding a sound extension to vocabulary lists in a forum or in a glossary.

Freer Speaking

• Preparing for class speaking activity using a WIKI: for example for pooling ideas for and against a topic.

• Preparing a class discussion using CHAT .

• Recording presentations using Nanogong.

• Preparing for a debate using a WIKI with different groups or a MINDMAP.

Reading Activities

• Using a Forum for a book discussion.

• Using webpages to read and listen (Good source of stories: http://www.short-stories.co.uk/)

Writing Activities

• Using Mindmaps to brainstorm writing assignments.

• Producing effective personal profiles.

• Using a blog for creative writing (diaries, recipes, reviews, jokes, funny stories, interests, articles)

More Writing Activities

• Using Assignment to submit and evaluate writing..

• Collaborative writing using Wikis

Listening Activities

• Using FORUM to motivate students by discussing what recording to listen to.

• Using MINDMAP to anticipate content of a recording.

• Using HOT POTATOES quizes for comprehension.

• Developing students´ critical faculties through online discussions about recordings they´ve listened to (FORUM)

Grammar Activities

• Embedding a You Tube video to illustrate grammar.

• Creating a collaborative dictation, by means of an audio file, using a Wiki.

• Hot Potatoes Files

• Keeping Error Wiki and Working on Error Analysis.

Bibliography

Jeff Stanford, Moodle 1.9 for Second Language Teaching, Engaging online language-learning activities using the Moodle platform, Packed Publishing, Birmingham, 2009.

“If we teach today´s students as we taught yesterday´s, we are robbing them of

tomorrow” John Dewey.

Thanks for joining us!