Though it’s obviously easier for my students here in the United States to find others with whom they can practice their English, I know it’s more challenging for ESL students in other countries to do the same.
On my Teacher’s Page, under the section called Telephone, I have a few examples of how English Language Learners in non-English-speaking countries might be able to get a little more practice.
One link is a tutorial from CMS Professional Learning for using Skype, an Internet-based system for making inexpensive phone calls (which I suspect many readers of this blog are familiar with). Another link is one I just learned from a post in Teacher Dude’s blog. It’s called Kan Talk, and it’s designed to help English Language Learners specifically connect via Skype with others who would like to talk with them.
Finally, there’s a link to Jajah. Jajah allows you to use the Internet to make phone calls, but you can do it while using your regular phone and only one person has to have access to the Web.
Hi Larry. I knew about your website, but I just discovered your blog. I’m thrilled. The links you provide to Skype, Kan Talk, and Jajah open up some creative uses in the classroom. I’m going to visit them later and spend more time experimenting. My Beginning High ESL students need more speaking and listening practice.
BTW I’m tagging you for an online meme. The tag can be found on my website at http://www.elcivics.com/esl_teachers_blog.html. For those who don’t know what a meme is I’ll give you the short version. It’s when a question is circulated among bloggers. Each blogger has to answer the question and then pass it on to five other bloggers. So the question for Larry is: What magazines do you read and how have your reading habits changed in the last couple of years? I’m a new blogger, so I’m making new friends by tagging them.