Teacher-Created Website as an
Instruction Tool in ESL and CALL
Classes
Lyra Riabov
Associate Professor
Southern New Hampshire University
TESOL Internet Fair 2003
Session includes:
 Discussion: Application of MS Word, FrontPage and PowerPoint for teaching
ESL/EFL and CALL courses
 Structure of Lyra Riabov’s Web site created for teaching CALL
(http://acadweb.snhu.edu/Riabov_Lyra/EFL537_CALL.htm)
and ESL (http://acadweb.snhu.edu/Riabov_Lyra/IEP.htm)
courses in IEP and TEFL Programs at Southern New Hampshire University
 Challenges and Rewards of web-based hands-on teaching of the ESL/CALL
courses
 Exploration of some TEFL/CALL students’ web-based projects
(http://acadweb.snhu.edu/Riabov_Lyra/EFL537_CALL.htm)
 How to use interactive “FrontPage Discussion Board”
(http://acadweb.snhu.edu/Riabov_Lyra/Class_Discussion/default.htm)
How can the Internet and teacher-created Website be used as tools,
as well as resources for interactive, task-based language learning?
 Teacher-created Website is an abundant resource of language teaching
materials;
 Computer-assisted discussion offers interactive writing language practice: email, discussion boards, and interaction through project activities;
 The written interaction fosters greater student participation and collaboration;
 Language teaching becomes more individualized;
 The class time is used more productively and effectively (Randall's ESL Cyber Listening Lab);
 Learners gain maximum opportunity to be exposed to language in meaningful
context (A Trip to the Grand Canyon!);
 Students can get in touch with the real culture of the language they learn (Great
Speeches);
 Computer-assisted discussion encourages more equal participation (for shy,
quiet, loud, aggressive, and talkative students) than face-to-face discussion.
Some More Ideas That Circulate in TESOL/CALL Community
 Interaction in writing encourages students to use better grammar and
more complex sentences and vocabulary;
 Computer-based discussion can take place outside of the classroom, so
that provides students with increased opportunities to communicate in
the target language;
 Web pages offer authentic materials for research on culture and current
events or for gathering material for class projects;
 Students and teachers can also publish their own work on the World
Wide Web, thus enabling writing for a real audience. In some cases,
teachers have created in-class online newsletters or magazines;
 Teacher-created Website and CALL courses have consistently been a
very popular and well-received component of the Intensive English
curriculum in numerous institutions.
Teacher-Created Website
Requires:
 Money
 Does it always work?
 Training
 NO!
 Time Investment
 Do you want to get into it?
 Patience
 YES!
 Optimism
 Rewards and opportunities
are ample
Structure of the Class Website
 Course Objectives
 Syllabus
 Online Reading
Resources
 ESL/EFL Online
Resources
 Software Tools
 Project Resources
 Useful Links to the
Internet Websites
 CALL Professional
Organizations
Challenges
What is the Best Balance?
 CALL Theory
 Research
 Reading
 Reflection Papers
 Discussions
 Practice
 Applications
 Hands-on CALL Skills
 Selection of the most
relevant and up-to-date
topics
Challenges
What is the Best Way?
 Teacher-created
Website as a tool of
instruction
 Online resources vs.
traditional text books
 Hardware and software
availability constraints
 Utilizing online
resources and freeware
 Selection and evaluation
of the Internet resources
 Copyright Issues
 Time constrains
 Class discussions
 Online chats & forums
 E-portfolios
 On-going assessment of
learning
Challenges
Technology Shock
 Diversity of the
 Balancing the challenges for
students’ computer
the students who have low
skills at the beginning of
and advanced computer
the course
skills
 From elementary word
 Daily hands-on assignments
processing to authoring  Team work: learning from
a Website
each other
Rewards
The Process and the Final Project
 Overcoming students’
technology and cultural
shock
 Excitement of
presenting CALL
lessons
 CALL applications in the
students’ other graduate
courses
 Students’ authored
Website projects as the
practice field of testing
their knowledge,
acquired skills, handson activities, and
applications for the
future use in the real
world
Discussion Board
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Select: “Discussion Board” on Lyra’s Home Page
Select: “TESOL Participants Discussion”
Read some of the points
Click: “Reply” and type your comments.
Click: “Post”.
Soon you will see comments of other participants
Have fun!