Teacher_resources

How to use ICT tools to help your teaching and their learning!

=Using and finding authentic texts.=

Using authentic texts
We often need to know the readability level of the texts we are offering our students. These are a few of the sites you can use to get information to help you decide.

Blue Centauri Consulting: Writing Sample Analyser Just paste the text into the analyser and the software will calculate its Flesch Reading Ease, Fog Scale Level and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level. This is for L1 reading but it will give you an idea of your students' L2 reading level.


 * Click on Peter Pan for a sample text you can use.
 * Click on Blue Centauri Consulting: Writing Sample Analyser to find the readability scale.

Web Vocabulary Profiler Here you can get all the information you need related to the words found in a text. The software not only classifies the words according to the most frequent word family lists and the AWL, but also indicates the function and content ratio. More software can be found on the Complete Lexical Tutor for a more detailed analysis of the text.

Why not try with a sample from the Peter Pan link above. Then,
 * Click on Web vocabulary profiler for just the vocabulary lists or
 * Click on the Complete Lexical Tutor. for more detailed information.

Finding authentic texts
But what if you haven't got a text! How can you find something for your students to read? Try these site and see.

T urdy software searches the Internet for sites related to the topic you have chosen. It then lists these with a colour code that indicates the readability level..the darker the colour, the harder the text will be to read.
 * Twurdy **

Try it out. Choose a topic area, and let Twurdy find the site and readability of the information.


 * Click on Twurdy to begin your search.

Tagbulb The software runs through material on the web through their tags. You can find not only reading material, but audio and video as well. Check out blogs, books, documents even twits!

Think of a topic area and try it out.
 * Click on Tagbulb and start your search.

Personalising persentations
You know them best, so personalise their learning by making your own tutorials for your students. Then upload to your blog or wiki.

Google documents You can make your power point presentation in your computer and then upload to the site, or work directly online.


 * Click on Google documents and choose the style.
 * See an example here: Using prior knowledge when reading

or use their form application and get feedback from your students or track their process.
 * Click on Grammar Review Process Control for an example

Slideshare Another site which allows you to upload your own customised presentation to your blog or wiki.
 * Click on Slideshare to go to the main page.
 * See an example here: Count and noncount

280Slides An interactive way to bring your presentations to your students. Include audio and video to add additional input stimulus.
 * Learn more about 280 Slides.

Survey Monkey Use the free version of Survey monkey and get access to software that can allow you to get feedback from your students through surveys. It can also be used for making quizzes!
 * Check it out here. Survey Monkey
 * See an example of a survey here: Students' perception on the use of ITC in reading.

Now that you have the input material, how can you create exercises that can help your students to learn.

Find out at

@Interactive activities

Find out what other resources your students can use on their own to improve their learning at

Student resources or back to Start