Vocabulary Activities using CALL

As I was searching for vocabulary activities requiring computer use, I found the Visual ESL website (http://www.visualesl.com/). This website provides interactive vocabulary activities, the majority of which include visual representation of some sort (photo, drawing, etc). One can select from lists of vocabulary topics grouped according to five skill levels (Elementary, Lower-Intermediate, Intermediate, Upper-Intermediate, and Advanced). The practice activities include drag-and-drop, fill-in, and multiple-choice quiz activities. Following the activity for each topic, there is a vocabulary list with audio clips of the pronunciation for each word.

The Activities for ESL Students website contains within it an extensive vocabulary practice section, which may be found at the following location: http://a4esl.org/q/h/vocabulary.html. The site offers many useful activities, including matching and multiple-choice quizzes. I think that it would be beneficial to students to be exposed to the vocabulary lists before doing the activities on the website. I would probably not use the Words Beginning with [fill in the letter] in a class, because the vocabulary items are not contextualized around a particular theme.

Question(s):
Which of the two websites would you prefer to use in an ESL class? Why?

Reading Activities using CALL

I found the Learning Resources website while searching for reading activities requiring computer-use. (http://www.literacynet.org/cnnsf/archives.html) The available variety of news topics allows for learner-choice, or an instructor could use one of the news stories as part of a themed lesson. If I were to use a story from this site as part of a themed lesson, I would add a pre-reading schema activation segment and a post-reading activity or two to be done in pairs/groups.

On the site, there are twelve categories of stories from which to choose. Each story is accompanied by vocabulary-building activities, as well as activities for sequencing events and checking reading comprehension. Having these activities readily available in a margin on the left side of the page, a learner will be able to work independently and at his/her on pace. One can do the practice activities on the left side of the screen while being able to view the story on the right.

Question(s):
Upon viewing the site, did you find it to be useful? Is it something that you could see yourself using in a class? How would you incorporate the given activities into an ESL lesson?

Previous Experience with CALL

I have been using computers in the ESL classroom for over a year. I try to incorporate a computer-based activity into my lesson plans once or twice a week. I use Internet sites to supplement material that we have been working on in class as well as to expose students to useful websites. For example, I have had students use Mapquest (http://www.mapquest.com) to explain how they get to class from their homes as part of a direction-giving lesson.

Most of my students enjoy the interactive nature of using Internet sites during class. They find the following website to be useful for vocabulary practice: http://www.languageguide.org/english/. This online picture dictionary includes both visual and audio elements. One can scroll over a picture of a vocabulary item and see the spelling and hear the pronunciation of a word. Check it out if you have a chance!

Question(s):
Do you find the Language Guide website to be useful? Why or why not? (If you have used such a tool in a class, how does this picture dictionary compare to others that you have encountered?)