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04%24(2%%sLISTENING AND SPEAKING ONLINE

Web tours
Taking others site-seeing

Tools 䊲 Chatware (audio, video, shared

web browsing)
䊲 Email (optional)

Technique

Choose a website you like, which will be of relevance and Variation

interest to your learners. Instead of choosing a website, the learners can choose a
Ask the learners to note down the link to their favourite favourite painting, cartoon, singer, architect, building, etc,
website before the chat session. Tell them they will be and send an image of this to you, in advance of the chat
giving their colleagues an online guided tour of the session, by email. During the speaking session, upload each
website during the chat, lasting three to five minutes. image in turn into your chatware, and ask the learner to
speak about it, describing what it is and why it is a favourite.
Set up a meeting time in your chatware. When the
meeting starts, explain that you are going to show your Follow-up
learners your favourite website. The learners can write a brief description of one of their
colleagues’ websites, stating what they like about the
Show the website:
site and what they are not so keen on. They send you
● Say what you like about each part.
their descriptions by email. Provide individual or group
● Ensure that your tour lasts no more than three to
correction and feedback on the writing, as necessary.
five minutes.
Comment
Ask one leaner to dictate the link to their favourite
website, or to put the link into the text chat window. This activity works well with the whole group. It’s usually
easier if you control the shared web browsing, and if the
Show the learner’s favourite website: learner tells you where to click when showing everyone
● They tell you where to click, to show everyone
around. If they are confident with technology, you could
around the website. assign ‘moderator rights’ to each learner in the chatware, and
● They explain what they like about each part of the
they could direct the web browsing.
website, for three to five minutes.
If this type of shared web browsing is new to the learners,
At the end of the tour, ask the others to come up with one we suggest that you maintain control. You want to make
question each about the site. They can type their question sure that the technology goes as smoothly as possible, and to
in the chat window or use the audio to ask the learner spend most of the online class time on the speaking activity
their question. The learner answers their colleagues’ itself rather than on possible technical aspects.
questions verbally.
Repeat the process with the other learners and their
favourite websites. Make notes of any language problems,
for later correction.
Recap the names of the websites you have looked at with
the learners.
● They decide which website they liked the best
(they can’t choose their own!).
● They type the name of the website they liked best
in the chat window, when you say ‘Go!’
Round up by pointing out which websites were the most
popular, thank the learners and end the session.
Send them feedback on their language use, with notes on
common errors or particularly important points.

70

Delta Publishing, 2018 Teaching Online 70

www.deltapublishing.co.uk Tools and techniques, options and opportunities
© Ernst Klett Sprachen GmbH, Rotebühlstraße 77, 70178 Stuttgart, 2018
ISBN 978-3-12-501355-1