Tech Tasks: There Are Three Tasks That Work With Technology

Let’s now look at three tasks that involve technology and students to complete the series. They were liked by almost all of the students they worked with, and they also produced lots of language practice and learning.

These three tasks are as universal as possible so you can use them with all ages, levels, and interests. We’ll also provide an outline lesson plan and discuss the general principles that made these tasks so successful for students.

Telling Digital Stories

We looked earlier in this series at creative writing using Edmodo. Although many students hate writing, if you make it creative, and collaborative, and include as much talking as possible, it will always work.

Step-by-Step

• Ask your students to write a prompt, such as a photograph. Then ask them to pair up to answer questions about the photo. It was taken where? What are the names of these people and how do they get to know each other? What was the history of each person? And what is next? As a foundation for their stories. To begin, be prepared to assist lower-level students. Once they are done, post all questions to the board.
• Ask your students to answer the questions in note form. ).
• Your students should be grouped in pairs or small groups and encouraged to talk instead of writing. Talk with your students about their answers and then choose their favorite answers to form the basis of their story.
• Ask students to create a draft of their story, then share it with another pair/group that will edit it. The shared Google Drive document allows the groups/pairs to complete their stories.
• Ask students to share their stories with the class. They can ask them questions such as: What did they like, what did not they understand, and which story is the most interesting/funniest?
• Once they are done, and you are satisfied with the whole discussion, give language feedback to correct any errors in their stories. This step can also happen digitally.

I love www.500px.com as a source of photos for stories. LIFE magazine is another favorite. My article, “How I correct students’ work with tech tools collaboratively” contains some advice.

This is How It Works in A Language Class

Students should be talking in class and not spending too much time on technology. Technology shouldn’t be so complicated or time-consuming that it takes over language education.

It is creative and collaborative. The more you make it a requirement, students will be creative and collaborative. Many students don’t enjoy writing compositions on their own, and many don’t believe they’re good at it.

It works even better if you have your learners record it using the Speaker Studio app.

Mobile Phone Filming Tasks

This article also covered the topic of collaborative presentations in class. They are especially useful for coursebook topics as they allow you to recycle language. Presentations can be about almost any topic.

Step-By-Step

• Place students in small groups of three to four.
• Ask them to think of what they would like to include in their presentation.
• Ask students to practice their presentations in class. They can each give their presentation, but not all of them need to. As much assistance as you can with language is possible at this stage.
• Ask them to present their presentation to another group once they are done.
• Ask one student in each group to create a presentation using Google Docs. Share it with others and then tell them to practice their presentation for the next class.
• Ask each group to present their presentations to the class in the next class. Make sure that one member of the group records the presentation via a cell phone.
• You can watch the presentation on your phone, or if it’s been shared (see below), by using your classroom projector.
• Give feedback to the class on the presentation. Always start with the positives and then move on to any language review.

Although we’ve seen presentations in class, you can also do the same with role-playing at any level.

Sharing The Videos

Your students can give feedback by uploading the videos to YouTube. You can change the privacy settings to keep them private. YouTube is an excellent alternative.

Important: Sometimes students will give poor presentations. Don’t embarrass them by showing it in class. Instead, give positive feedback and provide constructive criticism on where it went wrong.

You can start by recording audio, even if your learners are reluctant to be filmed (the Spreaker Studio app is great for this).

This is How It Works in A Language Class

Students love to have their phones. Filming can be very motivating. They want the best performance possible because they know that there will be a recording. Reperformance allows students multiple chances to improve their performance and not have to do the technical parts. Filming can be very motivating. They know that there will be a recording so they want to make it as great as possible.

Repertory allows students to learn and improve their skills. They will be willing to re-do the task with improved language.

Making Lists

We looked at creating lists in another article in the series, “Ten fun activities with lists”, which was a previous article in the series.

Step-By-Step

• Choose a topic that you think will be interesting to your students or relate to something you’ve been studying in class.
• Allow your students to take 90 seconds and note as many items individually as they can.
• Get learners to work in small groups and have them brainstorm a single list.
• After groups have created their lists, you can have a pyramid discussion to create a single list to which the entire class can contribute.
• You can either create the list(s), digitally, in class or ask one of your learners to create the digital version at home. The list can be posted on an Edmodo group or Google+ community.
• Ask students to comment and share the list with you; Edmodo, a digital community that allows for sharing of information like this, is a great place.
• Alternatively or additionally, you can also present the list to the class in a short oral presentation. This is a great activity.
• Finally, compare the lists you have created with those of your students if you have a topic list (see below).

TIP Add a number to the title of your list. Make it low: e.g. “Three ways to …’,” “5 essential steps to …’,” “Seven things you should know about Because it requires people to include or exclude items from the list, this low number sparks discussion.

Listing Lists

Boredpanda.com is a great place to find lists and ideas. www.watchmojo.com has video lists that are brilliant for music and cinema. There are many ideas to be found on social media, including The Guardian and BBC.

This is How It Works in A Language Class

• You only need one idea and not a lot of material.
• Everybody can and will contribute.
• It generates a lot of language and lots of debate.
• It is learner-, language-, and technology-centered.
• Everyone loves lists!

What Makes These Tasks Work Well?

• It is not the teacher who uses technology.
• It is clear that the learners are using simple technology in an easy and straightforward way.
• This task will lead to the creation of a digital shared product.
• The tasks can be shared or performed in public, so students expect their writing to be accurate and well-written.
• It is not easy, but there are many challenges.

How can you tell if a task is ‘working’ with your class? It is very easy: If your students ask, “Can we do it again?”, then the task has succeeded! These three tasks will prove to be very useful.