Part 1

1. Commercially available software most of the times centres on self-paced learning. Though this might be useful for self-study, teachers can hardly use them in their classes.
2. It is very difficult to find software that smoothly integrates into your curriculum.
3. Such software, more often than not, focuses on discrete items rather than activities that demand integration of skills or interaction.
4. There are difficulties in administration of a software-based classroom. These are related to licensing, distributing, and monitoring software.

Against this background, it seems useful to think about teacher-made activities for the computer-based class. Such activities can generate more interaction, and can easily integrate with the curriculum. I have provided three examples of such activities. The activities use simple and commonly used software such as Microsoft Power Point and Microsoft Word. Also, they are sufficiently open for teachers to modify them according to their objectives. If you are an expert user, you can directly go to the Examples section to view the activities. If you need some more background help, please read the following explanation of useful terms.

Some Useful Terms

• Classnet: A network in which all computers in the classroom are connected to each other. The teacher's computer has the capability to monitor and manage the use of all computers. Typically the network is connected to a projector. Thus, it is possible to project images not just from the teacher's computer, but from any computer in the classroom.
• Intranet: A network in which typically all computers in the institution and/or campus are connected to each other. It is thus possible to share files among all users. This creates immense possibilities for collaborative language learning.
• Track Changes feature in Microsoft Word: This feature is useful for editing somebody else's work. It very neatly shows the writer the kind of changes the editor has suggested. To use the feature, open the file for editing, then click on Tools and select Track Changes. Check the relevant boxes in the dialogue box that come up.

Examples of Teacher-Made Activities

Activity No. 1 - Describing Pictures

Equipment:

• Intranet, Classnet and Power Point

Objective(s)

Teaching adjectives (But can also be applied to other vocabulary exercises)

Preparation

• Choose and scan at lease ten suitable pictures. Insert them in a Power Point presentation.

Classroom procedure

Make the presentation available on Intranet/ Classnet as a shared file.

• Ask the student to open the shared Power Point file.
• They should use the View > Notes Page command
• They should write some adjectives describing their picture.
• Ask each group to project their pictures along with the notes pages. Discuss the use of adjectives.

Tip:

• Gets more interesting if you use comic strips.

Adaptation:

• Adapt the activity to teach vocabulary. If you choose pictures that describe an action or process, the activity can also be used to practise the skill of narrating events or describing a process.