Some are wondering if Language Centers will become a thing of the past. Since every student will probably own a computer, there will no longer be a need to go to a computer lab or language center. I also wonder about the role that language software will play in the future. Will everything be web based? Or will there still be a need for stand along computing? Some of the problems we are now facing in our language center is the computers have been upgraded to a new operating system which won’t run some of the older but useful software programs we have purchased. This has frustrated the teachers as now things that used to work in the past are not working any more. Some teachers go into survival mode and simply cut out Language Center assignments until it can be figured out if new software will be purchased to replace older versions that no longer work, or if there is better software available. Sometimes the conclusion is made that the software was really not needed and the teacher is leery (distrustful) about using the materials found in the language center. Regardless, this lesson focuses on four software packages as well as other materials useful in helping English language learners. Language Center Software Write a review/reaction paragraph(s) about each of the software programs listed below. Include print screens of the software that is relevant to your review. [A review/reaction paragraph not only summarizes what the software can do, but also gives your opinion and feelings of the software.] Pop Cap Games => Typer Shark Deluxe Review/Reaction/Screen Shot: I like this game. This game is fun and easy. Players need to type the word that shows on the shark. It can help students to have interest in English. It also can train their typing skills. However, players cannot learn much about the words’ meaning and pronunciation by playing this game unless they try to find out by themselves.

Read Up – Speed Up Review/Reaction/Screen Shot: This program is for reading and it has four levels including Elementary level, Pre-intermediate, Intermediate, and Post-Intermediate. It provides a lot of interesting readings. You can change the speed or color. After reading, reader can do a test to see how well they know about the reading. It is a very good program to help you get better reading speed. Also, their readings include many differenct types of topics.

Pronunciation Power 1 & 2 Review/Reaction/Screen Shot: This program is focusing on pronunciation. It provides games, exercises, lessons, and dictionary. My favorite is Exercise. It highlights the important part of the word so that I can practice the sound. I also can record my voice to compare with the correct one.

The lessons are simple but knowledgeable. This program is good for any age group.

ESL Renegades (levels A, B, or C found at the Front Desk) Review/Reaction/Screen Shot: It is a simple program to help learner to improve their English. This is level B. After you click in, it shows a sentence with highlight words. You need to think about the highlight words because they might be an error. This program is user-friendly but it does have many types of practice.

Tense Buster: http://www.ClarityEnglish.com/area1/TenseBuster/Start.php?prefix=BYUH Review/Reaction/Screen Shot Tense Buster provides five different levels for learners. After you click in a level, it has many topics. For each topic, you can get to know more the topic by reading the

introduction. Then, you can explore the rule. After that, you will be able to do some exercise to practice. “Vocab” is a section to explain the vocabulary that relate to the topic. Last, doing “your test” can see how well do you know about the topic. It is a really reliable problem for learners to learn tenses.

Demo Software online (choose one): http://www.clarityenglish.com/program/Pronunciation.php or http://media.pearsoncmg.com/intl/elt/pcdp/fog/samples/fog3/start.htm Review/Reaction/Screen Shot: This program is focusing on grammar. It has different units. You can click “Play” to listen to the conversation and then complete the conversation by typing the words that you hear. It also practices your listening skills. However, it is a bit boring for younger learners since they do not know all the words.

Do a web search for ESL Software/Apps. What software would you recommend our language center purchase that we don’t already have? Support your recommendations with why need this software/app and how it could be used? Recommendations & Support: I would recommend English Discoveries. First, this software provides full motion video clips include excellent language content and exciting story lines. Great content can make the learning process more interesting. Interactive audio allows learners to listen to native speakers and record their own voices for comparison. Their lessons include text for the development of reading, writing, vocabulary and grammar skills and they provide instant translations in many languages, including Spanish, Russian, Vietnamese, Portuguese, French, German, Italian and Turkish. They have many other feathers such as Pre/Post Test and adventure games. The skill level start from beginner to advanced. The age range is from adolescent to adult so I believe this software suitable for all EIL students.

Other Language Center Materials Many ESL schools focus solely on helping students pass the TOEFL or TOEIC test. Our language center has some preparatory materials which can help a student do so. Look through the TOEFL or TOEIC materials that the Language Center has and then write a review/reaction paragraph about the material. Include enough details about the materials to show that you actually looked at the materials and learned something. Review/Reaction: There are a lot of useful materials in Language Center. They have books for many different standardized tests such as TOEFL and TOEIC. I picked TOEFL IBT SUPERPACK by Barron’s. The book comes with audio CD pack and CD-ROM. The book is huge and it is very detailed. First, it has an orientation to simply introduction each part of TOEFL. After that, it has a review part of TOEFL IBT Sections including reading, listening, writing, and speaking. It also helps students to do better by teaching academic skills. Model tests can give students a chance to know how they do on the tests. Overall, this book is good for people to prepare for their TOEFL tests.

Do you think Speaking tutors are a necessary part of learning a language? Explain. Answer: I believe speaking tutors are a necessary part of learning a language because students love to play with people from the same country. This will lower their opportunities to speak English. Speaking tutors can help them to practice speaking and give them meaningful advices to improve their speaking. Tutors can also teach them useful vocabulary so that they will be able to express their thoughts and share their ideas. Other Online Software sites: http://www.knowledgeadventure.com/ http://www.thecenterweb.org/alrc/pdfs/softwarevendors.pdf http://www.tesol.net/teslsoft.html Apps for mobile devices are the new rage in teaching. There seems to be an app for about everything. List several apps that you think would help you in your teaching. If you don’t have a mobile device, you can still add apps to your Google Chrome page. http://chrome.google.com/webstore

1. App name: Vocabulary for GRE, SAT, ACT, GMAT, IELTS, TOEFL, ESL, English…….

Review/Reaction/Screen Shot: This is an app for a quick vocabulary workout. It has vocabulary from many different kind of standardized tests such as GRE, SAT, ACT, GMAT, IELTS, and TOEFL. It is easy to use, intuitive and it has an extensive database of words.

2. App name: ________________ Review/Reaction/Screen Shot: This app mainly focuses on grammar. It divides the content into many specific topics such as conditionals, conjunctions, nouns word choice, and prepositions. Under each topic, you will see illustration, example and practice. It is a nice app to learn and practice grammar. Most importantly, it is free.

3. App name: Word game for kids Review/Reaction/Screen Shot: This app is a great app for younger learners because it is colorful and the pictures are cute. The player can play this game with three more players together. After they see the picture, they need to tap the right word to get point. The vocabulary is various. This game is very user-friendly.

4. App name: Action Words Review/Reaction/Screen Shot: The app is called Action Words. Basically, the app will ask question like “Who is swimming?” Then, you need to tap a picture that shows a person is swimming. This app provides more than 100 actions pictures and over 500 photos. All the pictures of this app are high-quality. It is good for everyone who wants to learn English especially verb. Also, you can upload your own pictures to set up new questions with new verb.

Finishing Touches

Blog after every class about what you are learning.

Add a border and a background color to this document, but make sure it is still easy to read.

Name this document “ESL Software” and save it as a PDF or Word Document in

your portfolio folder.

Link the file to your Home Page.