Smartboard

Smartboard is not a website; it is a system and machine that teachers can use this machine to motivate students. This machine is similar to whiteboard, but this machine is smarter than whiteboard. It has more functions than whiteboard. It not only can be used as a whiteboard, but also can be used as an online classroom.

How to use:

1.     Smartboard can be used as whiteboard or blackboard, but what teachers write on this board can be saved in the computer. Thus teachers can save what they write (note of this lesson) in class and post this note to their blogs and students can download or review these notes. In this way, students do not need to make any notes in class. They can only concentrate on what teacher is talking about.

2.     Smartboard can provide teachers to make some tasks with clues. Teachers can use these tasks to motivate students to learn new words. Teachers can provide the Chinese meaning of the new words for Chinese students, and let students write down the word, and check whether they write the right words or not.

3.     Teachers also can find many funny pictures in smartboard. Some pictures can be used to teach children English, but some pictures can be used for students to make a presentation.

4.     Smartboard provides a pen, called ‘magic pen’. If teachers draw a square, the part in this square will be magnified. If teachers draw a circle, the part out of this circle will be dark, and the part in this circle will be stressed.

Advantages:

1.     It can save the pages that teachers used in class. In this way, students can review the notes anytime. It will save students’ time to make notes in class, and they do not need to focus on the notes rather than the teachers’ explanations.

2.     Teachers can use this to motivate students to make presentations in public. Since this system only can be used by one person every time. Thus teachers can ask student to prepare a presentation before class and show their presentation in the entire class.

Disadvantages:

1.     I admit that sometimes this system is good, but this system makes some simple questions into complex. For example, this system provides teachers to make their own task, such as making sentence with disordered words. While most teachers refer to give students some papers with different words and let them make these words into a sentence.

2.     This system can be used by one person every time. Thus teachers cannot let students to work in pairs or work in groups. Or this system only be used by teacher, it will be same with a projector.

Breaking new English---fun to learn English

Breaking new English (http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/) is a website that teachers can use this website to teach English or add some extra materials for students to do after school. This website provides many tasks for teachers to choose and also this website provides a teaching plan for teachers to consider. This website will update every 3 days, and the materials are related to our daily life. It is a best material for teacher to motivate students to learn English.

How to use:

1.     Teachers can use this website to practice students’ listening skill. Since the articles are not long and the vocabulary is not difficult for senior high school students. Thus teachers can download the MP3 file and play it for students to practice their listening skill.

2.     Teachers can use ‘missing word’ to motivate students to remember new vocabulary. It is boring to remember words without any tasks. Thus this task can motivate students to remember new words, and in this situation, students can easier remember the meaning and usage of new words.

3.     Teachers can use ‘sentence jumble’ to motivate students how to organize an article. This task can motivate student to rewrite this article. After doing this task, they will have a better understanding of this article.

4.     Teachers can print the handout that this website provides. In this handout, teachers can find many tasks about reading, gap-filling, group work tasks and so on. Teachers can use these tasks to check whether students understand this article or not.

Advantages:

1.     This website can motivate students to learn English, even after school. Since the materials that provided by this website are up-to-date and related to our daily life, the most important thing is these materials are very interesting. Thus it is easier for teacher to attract students’ attention and motivate them to learn English.

2.     The tasks that provided by this website are not very difficult. Therefore, students will not lose their interest to do these tasks. If they work in pairs, they will find some joy when they do these tasks.

3.     Teachers can use the handout that provided by this website in their English language learning lessons. Since the handout is complete from warm-up part to homework part, also the structure of this handout is very clear and the tasks are very suitable for students to do.

Disadvantages:

1.     The tasks that provided by this website only can be used in class or regard as homework for students to do. These tasks cannot be regarded as test for students. Since these materials are online, students can find the answers online, it will cause students to be lazier.

2.     The handout provides so many tasks, but it does not provide enough explanation of the article or new words. Therefore, if teachers want to use this handout, they need to add the explanation of the new words or the article before their lessons.

3.     Some tasks need use computers. Thus students must in computer room or they need to take their own computers to school. It is impossible in China. We have computer room, but it is difficult to control students when we use computer room to teach English. And if students take their own computers to school, teachers will not be more attractive than their own computers. Thus they will not listen to teachers rather than play their computers.

Todays Meet for language learning in China

Todays meet （http://todaysmeet.com/） is a website that teacher can creat a online room for students to discuss and express their opinion online. It is very convenient and easy to use.

(Picture 1)

From picture 1, we can see that teacher can creat their owen room online and decide keep this room for how long time.

(Picture 2)

From picture 2, we can see that after teacher creat an online room, teacher can give the link of  this room to students and then students can join this room and express their opinion online, other students and teacher can see their opinions. while students can use other name (e.g. English name, nick name, etc.) instead of their true name to join this room.

(Picture 3)

From picture 3, we can see that this website or this online room is easy to use. Students just need to write their opinions or answers and then click 'say' and then other people can see what they say.

Advantages：

1. Obviously, this website can create a online room for students to share and express their opinions and at the same time teachers can collect students' opinions.

2. This online room can give a way for shy students to express their opinions. In China, most students are shy and do not like speaking in the class, this online room can let them speak out their opinions more freely.

3. Many students like learning through computers, thus to acertain extent this online room can motivate students. And this is new for Chinese students, students always like new things and interesting things, especially new technology or interesting website.

4. Also this online room can store information. After collecting students' opinions or answers, teacher can store these information in his/her computer and his/her can analyse these opinions or answers after they go home.

5. Students can practise their writing skill by using this online room, since they need to consider grammar, spelling of vocabulary, completence of sentence and so on when they type their opinions or answers in English in this online room.


How to use (in class):

1. Teacher can use this online room to practise students. For example, if today we learn past tense, teacher can use this online room to let every student write a sentence using past tense or change present tense into past tense.

2. This online room can be used to find mistakes. For example, teacher send a reading material to students, let them find mistakes in this reading material and write these mistakes in this online room and teacher can collect answers easily.

How to use (outside class):

1. Teacher can leave some homework for students and collect the answer in this online room and ask every student join this room by using their true name.

2. Teacher can collect students' opinions about the hard extendof one text or a exam and which part or which question should be explained carefully.

3. Teacher can use this online room to collect students' opinion about teaching strategies.

Limitations:

It cannot be denied that todays meet is a very useful link for students to express their opinion. However, if we want to use this link in the language learning classes in China, there will be some limitations as listed below:

1. It is diffcult to ensure that every student can have a computer, an ipad or a smartphone. In China, government provides computers to many schools, but in other words, every classroom only has one computer for teacher to use. While in few schools, they have computer rooms, however, their computer rooms are always used by many students, thus every student only has few time to use computer, maybe they can use computer only once a week.

2. If teacher uses computer room, students will play computer games rather than listen other student's opinion. Because teacher does not control their computers. Computer games are always more attractive than this online room or teacher's questions, thus students will answer without thinking carefully and be perfunctory to teacher's questions or tasks.

3. Teacher cannot response students in time. This website provide teacher a online room for students to express their opinion, teacher can collect students' opinions and read these opinions after class. However, teacher cannot response students in time.

4. I cannot sure that this website can be used in China, since the Chinese government limit many websites and Chinese people can connect to these websites, such as, facebook, twitter and so on. Therefore, I cannot sure that we can use this online room in China.