Web 2.0 and CMC Resources for Technology-Enhanced
Language Learning and Teaching
J. Reinhardt, 4/8/11
a collection of online resources for Chat, Discussion Boards, Blogs, Wikis, Social Networking, Digital Gaming, and a few old standbys
Chat
There are hundreds of free online chat tools, although some are public, so they may not be safe areas to bring students, since any stranger might be able to join. You should definitely explore a potential tool before deciding to use it for class. If you google free chat you'll find many of them:
http://www.google.com/search?q=free+chat
A safer solution is to use the chat tools that are built into websites like Google, Yahoo, or Hotmail (your students will have to sign up for free accounts). Some course management systems (like Elluminate) and social networking sites (like Facebook or Ning) have integrated chat tools that you can use. Finally, instant messenger and downloadable chat tools, like Windows Live Messenger, Skype, or Yahoo Instant Messenger can also be used for educational purposes. You can find any of these by googling their names.
If you know how to build websites, you can incorporate a chat areas using third-party tools, like Pulpchat: http://www.pulpchat.com
Chat acronyms are easy to find, here's a quiz on them:
http://www.tolearnenglish.com/exercises/exercise-english-2/exercise-english-1986.php
Here is a glossary of chat acronyms (beware, some are vulgar): http://www.pulpchat.com/faq/faq215.php
Discussion Boards
Like chat tools, there are now
dozens of free online discussion boards.
Usually these sites offer to host a discussion board for free, as long as you agree
to let them post advertisements on your board. Or, you can pay a free for
better features and no advertisements. To find them, do an Internet search:
http://www.google.com/search?q=free+discussion+boards
As with chat tools, many course management systems, blogs, and social networking sites also have built in discussion boards.
If you are interested in learning more about Netiquette and phenomena like flaming and trolling, check out:
http://www.albion.com/netiquette/
Blogs
There are also dozens of free blog hosting services, where you and/or your students can have free blogs, for example:
The wordpress page includes links to many blogs that are already online, that you can browse and get ideas from.
Wikis
Again, as with the other tools, there are many free services. Check out:
http://sites.google.com (not just wikis but websites in general)
http://docs.google.com (collaborative documents)
There also several pay services, for example,
http://pbworks.com/content/edu-classroom-teachers
which costs US$99/year
Social Networking
There are dozens of social networking sites that cost nothing to join, for example:
There are some tools designed specifically for education, for example
http://www.ning.com offers tools for educators to create social networks for their classes
These social networking sites are designed for individual L2 learners to connect with one another:
http://www.mylanguageexchange.com/
http://www.languageexchange.org/
Digital Gaming
For resources for digital game-mediated L2 teaching and learning, check out the blog for the Games2Teach project at University of Arizona's Center for Educational Resources in Culture, Language, & Literacy:
http://games2teach.wordpress.com
Some old standbys for TEFL
A collection of resources for learners and teachers of EFL.
For activity ideas, see:
http://www.eslcafe.com/idea/index.cgi?Internet:
A collection hundreds of listening activities for EFL learners
For a tutorial on what's available, see:
http://www.esl-lab.com/firstvisit.htm
The Hot
Potatoes suite includes six applications, enabling you to create interactive
multiple-choice, short-answer, jumbled-sentence, crossword, matching/ordering
and gap-fill exercises for the World Wide Web. HP does not provide Web space
for you to host your exercises—you must find that on your own.
Other web-based tools:
10 cool Avatar-making websites:
Good for body, appearance, and
clothing vocabulary
http://www.waynejohn.com/10-cool-create-an-avatar-web-sites/
6 free online room planners:
Great for house and household item
vocabulary, as well as verbs and prepositions
http://freebies.about.com/od/homegardenfreebies/tp/free-online-room-design.htm
Timetoast, the timeline maker (thanks to Rod for suggesting this):
Useful for history,
(auto)biographies, and illustrating time relationships, including tenses
Make your own movies:
A very easy way to create animated
movies using your own script