Instagram-based Classroom

           

         Instagram is one of social media to share our life with the world through pictures and 15-second videos. This is one of android application that I’m sure our intermediate students have already used android at all. From those facilities, I find many opportunities to use it as teaching media. Teachers and students can expand the vocabulary, practice speaking, improve listening skills, review grammar and even meet other for language exchange. Here, teachers can improve their students’ integrated language skill only in one media.

Improve Vocabulary and Review Grammar

In this part, teachers can create a vocabulary or grammar quiz for students by posting some pictures and give questions below the pictures. Students can directly answer by giving the comment of each picture. Do not worry that students will be difficult to see your post as teachers can use hashtag to make your post be more specific and easy to identify.

            Another activity is teacher can post a picture with numbers in each thing there which show a situation or part of something, such as House, Body, School, etc. Then ask students to guess “what the thing is” using English. It is very appropriate for beginner as they will be easy to master many vocabularies by seeing the real things.

Speaking and Listening Practice

            Instagram allows us to upload 15-second videos that teachers can take this benefit to improve students’ speaking and listening ability. Teachers can ask students to make a short tutorial of making or creating something, such as cooking noodle, making up, or etc. Absolutely to not forget give hashtag to every post that can make teacher identify the post easily. Or may be teachers can ask students to record their daily activities by describing what they do orally.

            For listening practice, teacher can use tongue twister by recording their voice and ask students to guess what the teacher speak by writing on the comment below the videos. I’m sure it will be very fun quiz.

Writing and Reading Skill

            Writing and reading exercises will be more challenging by using instagram. Ask students to upload a picture based on the theme and the description. In this exercises, teacher does not only can assess the writing but also grammar and vocabulary used. Do not forget to put hashtag in order to be easy to identify.

            Then for reading, teacher can post a comic and ask students to make a conclusion or guess the theme or the moral value of the story. Do not forget to give reward for the best answer!

            How amazing it is! In one application, we can teach integrated language skill without any difficulties. In addition, I’m sure that our students will be more fun in learning language as many pictures and videos used to improve their interest. For the detail example, you can see in English Outside The Box

Facebook-based Classroom

        As students become increasingly connected to social media like Facebook, it is very important for EFL or ESL teachers to explore how Facebook can be utilized, specifically in the foreign language classroom.

     As a communicative tool in the language classroom, Facebook provides collaboration through target language discussions, status updates, comments, and questions. These types of collaborations can promote a sense of connection and community between the students more engaging learning experience. In short, Facebook allows for multi-dimensional conversation, both among students and between students and teachers.

            In using social media in the classroom, I suggest to not use it as the intensive material in the classroom. Just use it as your extensive course as many materials based on the curriculum which is needed to deliver in the class. Use Facebook as the practice of what teachers give in the class.

            In my opinion, Facebook is the most appropriate social media to improve students’ writing ability, which is complete with the improvement of grammatical structure and vocabulary.. Teachers can manage it based on the students’ level and themes of the material. Here, I will give you some general steps to use Facebook in your extensive classroom.

            I thinks that’s all for the steps. I do not give you detail period or materials because each teacher has different class situation, members and materials. So, just be free to explore your creativity as teacher and make it fun!

            You can get another ideas from this article Using Facebook in the Language Classroom

My Self

First of all, I say so sorry because I have posted many things but I didn’t introduce myself yet. Based on a quote “Better Late than Never” so that in this post, I want all readers know me so well. Ok, let me introduce myself.

            My name is Siti Ghoniyya. I have many nick names, such as Ghoniyya, Ghoni, Nia or Unya. So that you can choose one of them as you like. I am Mojokerto people, one of small city in East Java. I was born on August 14^th, 1993 and of course I am 23 years old now. Actually, I made this blog as the final assignment of my course but it is better if I try to publish this blog in order to everyone can take the benefit from this blog. This task was created to complete my CALL (Computer Assisted Language Learning) final examination in my 7^th semester of English Education Department, State Islamic University of Sunan Ampel Surabaya.

Even if the examination has ended, I will continue to write on this blog and share many ideas and knowledge about teaching language, especially English, using technology. So, just check this out, guys! J Thank you.

This is me :D

If there is any comment or complaint or everything about this blog, just be glad to write it in the comment area of each post or just send me a message in sayyidahghoniyya@gmail.com

Social Network-based Classroom

        The popularity of social network or social media tools has increased over the past years. It has influenced all people in the world, include learners and teachers. The apparent growth of social media has transformed traditional classrooms into modern settings. Nowadays, social media has been used for teaching and learning media as it is very interactive and challenging. It has particularly influenced development of online language learning, enabling students to easily connect and communicate with people around the world and fine the available place in online schools or academies.

Many schools and teachers have tried to analyze the benefit of using social media in their class and it is almost amazing. Learners feel more fun in learning and teachers feel very happy as it facilitates them to improve their students’ motivation in learning, especially language. As real-life communication is different from what students see in books, the online space can do much for students’ language proficiency improvement. All about social media and language learning can be read in this journal Social Network and Language Learning

            Therefore in my next post, I will try to give some ideas about teaching language using the most popular social media, such as Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, etc; and its detail teaching steps. So just wait it guys! J

Teaching Listening

             Listening is receptive language skill besides reading. The goal of teaching listening is to help students maximize their strategies in listening to improve their comprehension. This skill becomes one of ability which is tested in some international English test, such as TOEFL, IELTS, etc. if teachers only teach listening intensively in the class, I’m sure it will spend much time as each students has different capability in applying the strategies. Therefore, teachers need to motivate students to learn listening extensively. They can listen news, songs, tips or many things from media, such as radio, podcast, sound cloud, etc.

But if we let them too free to choose their extensive listening, I’m worry that they will be not serious here. Teachers need to be creative in recording some important things that students need to achieve. Don’t be worry to make them bored as teachers can have a vote to decide what topic they want to listen and make them interest. Teachers can record it using mobile phone or anther recording software, such as Audacity. This software provides not only to record our voice in good quality but also to edit it perfectly. Here, I will give you a Tutorial how to use Audacity.Audacity Tutorial

Teachers’ recording can be uploaded in Podcast.com or Soundcloud.com as they are one of the easiest voice link that can be accessed.Souncloud Tutorial Therefore, students can listen what the teachers upload whenever they want. Don’t forget to give students’ task to evaluate their progress in listening. 

Here is the example of soundcloud Culture Shock

Teaching Reading

            Reading is one of language skill that include as receptive skill. It means that this skill is students’ ability to absorb knowledge by using their eyes from a text. Teaching reading seems so bored since the students only sit down and read a text then the teacher will evaluate their understanding by giving questions, etc. Even if technology has given to us some ideas to improve teachers’ creativity to teach reading, the teachers cannot move from this traditional method.

Comic is one of alternative way to make reading class be more interesting. It is not just about text but it includes some pictures so that the students will be not bored to read even if the story is so long. We know that comic has many fanatic fans today. So that in this chance, I want share some websites that allow you to make your personal comic that can adjust the topic that you will teach. This is the example of my own comic.

Do not feel confuse how to make this amazing comic. Here I will give you a tutorial to make your own wonderful comic using Pixton.com. "Comic Pixton Tutorial" You can use another websites such as Toondoo.com, etc.

Teaching Writing

                Writing is one of productive language skill that must be learned by students competently. For me, it may be one of the toughest jobs a teacher faces, especially for teachers in EFL classroom. Effective teaching writing takes so much time: time to practice, time to share writing, time to revise writing, and time to respond and evaluate all of that writing. Many teachers try to avoid teaching writing as it takes a lot of time. In addition, they need to reach all target materials in the curriculum in just a short time. I’m sure in this part, teachers will be frustrated.

                But now, technology can save us. We just need to be aware with technology so it can facilitate us everything that we need with its’ application. Google, as we know, is the most popular search engine. But beside that function, Google provides many things which is very helpful for teachers. One of them is Google Drive. Teachers can use Google Drive for teaching writing media. They can ask students to do collaborative writing by evaluating each others, adding information, etc. This activity will not need to spend much time in the class as students can do it outside the class with Wi-Fi connection. Just give them a deadline to produce a specific theme writing and teachers can evaluate it online. Click this link "Google Drive Tutorial" to know how to start the collaborative writing using Google Drive.