About Wikis

According to the dictionary definitions Wiki is ‘a website or database developed collaboratively by a community of users, allowing any user to add and edit content’ and the wiki word is derived from the Hawaiian Phrase ‘wiki wiki’ which means quick.

                                                   taken from here

Wiki can be a great source for language classrooms. It is used both for sourcing knowledge or modifying an information collaboratively. For example, students as a class can crate a mini-encyclopaedia by researching and posting about one topic assigned. They can also create stories individually or in groups or create a dictionary.

It is also a good way for book projects. Students have a chance to write reviews or edit or delete anything they wish on a page created by the teacher. Here is the screenshot of my first wiki! I wrote a review about one of my favourite books, 1984 and created a wiki entry on the wiki page created by our instructor. Enjoy reading!

What is podcasting?

Podcasting is simply a way of creating and distributing audio files, to be downloaded and listened by the audience, via the Internet. Listeners can listen to those podcasts whenever, wherever and as many times as they want. For this reason, it is a perfect source for ELT teachers to be able to practice the language. Teachers can find plenty of podcasts on the Internet or they can create their own podcasts, and even they can have their students to create their podcasts.

I as a pre-service teacher have created my first podcast and found it quite difficult but also very beneficial. I spent too much time to be able to create a one-minute podcast but I had a chance to hear myself and I could easily notice if my pronunciation was correct or not or my speech was easy to understand or not etc. I think the more I prepare podcast, the easier it will be.

I will probably use podcasting with my future students because I can create podcasts directly related to my students’ needs and they have a chance to listen my podcasts as many times as they want.

Here is the first podcast which I have prepared with my friend Büşra. You can reach the podcast by clicking the link below. We talked about one inspiring idea to make the world a better place to live in. Listen to it and find our ‘brilliant’ idea and don’t forget to write a comment about it!

⇰ http://merve454.podomatic.com 

The podcast image is taken from here.

History of CALL

If you are a part of Education Sector you have probably heard about CALL but do you know when did CALL show up, how did it widen its scope and how did it gain present value?


Briefly, CALL stands for Computer Assisted Language Learning and refers to a series of instructions which need to be loaded into the computer to assist language learning/teaching process.


Computers exist since the first half of the 20th century but they were not used for educational purposes until the 1960s. With the emergence of CALL the language teaching/learning process was affected a lot. 


Using computers for linguistic purposes marched forward in time. The phases of CALL use are split into three groups; behavioristic CALL (1960s-1970s), communicative CALL (1980s-1990s), and integrative CALL (1990s-present). 


The first movement of CALL simply consisted of practices and drills associated with programmed instruction. In that period technology didn't make a significant chance in teaching methods. It was just used to make existing practices, like fill in the blanks or multiple choice activities, more efficient. In other words, it was just a replacement of grammar worksheets by computer based worksheets.


With Communicative CALL movement, using computers for linguistic purposes gained a momentum. The most notably was that grammar was tried to be taught implicitly while the content was focused. Language was started to be seen as a means of communication, so mastering the isolated forms of language took a backseat. Students had a chance to reach authentic materials and a wide range of information with the help of Internet and that made learning process more meaningful.

Finally, the last wave of CALL aims to teach all the language skills with an integrated style and that is the most valid form of technology use for linguistic purposes. It helps both teachers and students to reach web-based activities. So, what's changed? The integrated style provides an opportunity to combine the language skills into joint activities. It supports content- task- and project-based instruction. Students have a chance to reach real-life simulations (seeing&hearing are combined). Students have a chance to learn and use a vast majority of technological tools assisting their learning process.

After all, technology is the inseparable part of language teaching. But to get the most out of CALL teachers have to be trained about it. Otherwise, technology can not go beyond supplying grammar worksheets to students.

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Learning in the 21st Century

What comes to your mind when you hear 21st century learning?

Today’s learning changes the term ‘knowing things’ into ‘knowing how to learn’ for students. In other words, education requires much more than the traditional skills. Students are expected to demonstrate the 4 C’s of education; creativity, collaboration, critical thinking and communication. Its crucial for them to stay curious for the new information and prepare themselves to drive their own learning.

So what are the teachers’ roles then?

Teachers should brush up their pedagogy first. Instead of giving the information directly they have to create o positive environment to meet educational needs of the learners and teach them how to reach the information. The best backer for teachers to be able to do this is the technology and all the opportunities afforded by technology. But be careful! At this point what is really important is not the amount but the effectiveness of technology use. Teachers, before using the technology for pedagogical purposes should be aware of its affordances/constraints and should know how to apply it to their own pedagogy. Without changing the way they teach the technology doesn’t make any significant difference by itself!

“A good teacher can inspire hope, ignite the imagination, and instill a love of learning.” Brad Henry

The image was created by using WordArt. Click here to go to the website.