Abstract
Learning foreign languages in the 21st century is a human necessity, a prerequisite for personal and professional success, an activity impossible to avoid. In addition, learning English, considered a lingua franca, a language so widely spread in the virtual world, mass media, advertising, music, TV shows, etc. can be easy, entertaining and accessible.
Starting from the topic of this workshop, based on my own experience as a Foreign Language Teacher and backed up by specialised courses for teachers of English, this paper aims to review, in a development focused manner, several authentic materials that teachers can use in class and to discuss the variety of sources that students can resort to and use individually.
On the one hand, teachers can tailor articles or stories from blogs, company websites, brochures, newspapers, magazines, etc, which, although not written for academic purposes, do contain real life situations, case studies, the genuine vocabulary of a specific field. This article will provide practical examples of online texts modified for the level of the students and the variety of activities derived from this adaptation, thus, matching reading, writing, speaking or vocabulary activities.
On the other hand, students, fond of and familiar with the virtual world, and who possess the necessary "habits of mind associated with these technologies" (Beetham and Sharpe, "An Introduction to Rethinking Pedagogy for a Digital Age", 2007: 5) should be encouraged to use the Worldwide Web wisely in order to improve their language skills. Mobile apps for language learning (such as: http://freerice.com or https://www.duolingo.com/) or the inputs given by http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/ can be used by students on their own, in the comfort of their home. This paper will analyse the two apps and some Podcasts that can help learners to correct their pronunciation, giving them the confidence they need to express themselves in public. |
