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Here you can find a list of useful web-based activities and tasks
A webquest is an inquiry-oriented task that requires the use of the web. The websites needed are usually pre-selected by the teacher so that students can spend time using information rather than looking for information. Webquests can be set up to involve pair or group work and usually focus on reading and listening skills.
The city webquests at onestopenglish are especially useful for students who are going to be travelling abroad. They are graded for level and provide a variety of exercises that require the students to work together and with the web.
- http://web2.uvcs.uvic.ca/elc/studyzone/570/pulp/index.htm
This activity is from the Study Zone of the English Language Centre of the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada. The site offers a variety of web-based activities, which are categorized by English level.
The activity that I used contained practice for reading (including individual reading skills), grammar and writing. I have used this activity with high intermediate students who are preparing for the TOEIC test and they have found it very useful.
The reason that I like this text is that it combines sound pedagogical practice with interactive features of the Internet. The activity is made up of a number of exercises that are divided into skill areas. Students should work their way through the exercises in order.
By using one text to practise a variety of skills, and by using suitable pre-reading exercises the activity is able to activate and develop the students’ schema. Repetition means that review is built into the exercises.
The exercises include:
• Pre-reading prediction questions
• Skimming questions
• Scanning questions
• Vocabulary
• Grammar critical reading
The exercises use interactive features, which can help to develop student motivation and independence. It makes good uses of timers on the skimming and scanning exercises to give the students a time limit and encourage them to develop their skimming and scanning skills.
- http://iteslj.org/t/ws/google.pdf (Opens as a PDF file)
This activity is from The Internet TESL Journal, and is designed for high beginner students. It teaches students how to use the Internet (specifically Google, a search engine) to find information. It also develops students’ reading skills - especially scanning skills, question formation, and can be extended to provide writing practice.
The reason that I like this activity is that the skills it teaches are highly transferable. The Internet is the largest and most convenient source of information available to many people, and most of the information on it is in English. This lesson shows students how to navigate the web using Google. If set up correctly, the lesson can also foster collaborative learning amongst students.
- http://www.manythings.org/japanese/
It is not only English that can be learned through the Internet. I have been living in Japan for four years and have found this site very useful for developing my Japanese skills. It was especially useful when I first arrived for learning the two Japanese kanas - hiragana and katakana. The site contains many quizzes, flashcards, matching exercise, etc. that make use of interactive technology allowing students to work independently.
The site also has over a thousand activities for learning and revising kanji, including “Today’s 36 Kanji”, a page that introduces new kanji each day with explanations of the various readings, an English translation, and a link to activities and quizzes for practising the kanji.
- http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/multimedia/btp/index.shtml
These activities come from the BBC World Service Learning English website. The activities are based around a variety of places in the UK, some of them famous, others not so well known. Each activity (there are 12 locations to choose from) involves a combination of text-based, audio-based and video-based exercises. The audio and video exercises use Real Player, which is available as a free download.
The exercises on the site are suitable for intermediate students and above and make good use of multimedia and interactive technology.
Useful features:
• During text exercises, useful vocabulary with explanations is available in a pop-up window, which can be viewed along side the text
• Answer checking allows students to work independently
• Listening exercise have a text-based introduction and clear instructions
• Listening exercises use authentic sources, introducing students to regional accents and natural speech patterns including repetition, self-correction etc,
• Students are in control of the audio and video and may listen more than once, pause, rewind etc.
• Audio and video clips are short, reducing the necessity for students to rely on memory rather than comprehension skills
• Scripts are available for video segments
• Useful links to other websites are included
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